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More Than Hunger: Nutrition and Food Issues

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Clinical Management of the Homeless Patient

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Abstract

Food is a basic human need. Access to safe, adequate, and nutritious food is a social determinant of health. Lack of adequate and nutritious food can perpetuate a cycle of poor and worsening health. The healthcare team needs to address food insecurity (i.e., limited or uncertain access to adequate food) as part of any treatment plan, because clients who do not have access to basic needs will unlikely be able to follow other treatments for comorbid or acute health conditions. Screening is particularly important for food insecurity, as it is often not identified or prioritized like medical conditions during clinical encounters. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists use the Nutrition Care Process to assess, intervene, and resolve nutrition diagnoses. A team approach is needed to ensure timely intervention on the day of care and follow-up through case or care management. Healthcare teams have numerous valuable opportunities to intervene in prevention (through advocacy and publications), screening (through validated tools), treatment (including care coordination), discharge planning (including community/state/federal resources and family), and follow-up to perpetuate a cycle of monitoring and prevention of nutrition and food issues in at-risk or homeless populations.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nutrition and Food Services, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC, USA

    Anne Utech

  2. Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Anne Utech

  3. Veterans Health Administration, Office of the Assistant Under Secretary for Health, Clinical Services, Washington, DC, USA

    Christine Going

  4. Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Nipa Kamdar

Authors
  1. Anne Utech
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  2. Christine Going
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  3. Nipa Kamdar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anne Utech .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medstar Washington Hospital Center, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Washington, DC, USA

    Elspeth Cameron Ritchie

  2. Department of Veterans Affairs, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Washington, DC, USA

    Maria D. Llorente

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Utech, A., Going, C., Kamdar, N. (2021). More Than Hunger: Nutrition and Food Issues. In: Ritchie, E.C., Llorente, M.D. (eds) Clinical Management of the Homeless Patient. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70135-2_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70135-2_17

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