2024 Funded Micro Grant
Nutrition for Healing After Stroke: The Nutrition Scholar Program
Mona Bahouth, Aleksandra Safronova, Malou Panday, Shauna Berube, Ramya Srikanth
Neurology
Eating is a complex task—physical strength, coordinated utensil use, swallow function, energy and motivation to eat must all come together for someone to eat. Hospitalized stroke patients with modified diets or those requiring feeding assistance often require extra time and staff attention for success. However, with increasing numbers of staffing issues and workload at the stroke center, many patients receive rushed meals which is suboptimal for the patient and their healing. For patients without family at the bedside or those affected by healthcare disparities, the issue is disproportionately magnified.
The Stroke Nutrition Scholar Program will train volunteers to address this issue. Using funds from this grant, the team will develop an online interprofessional education program focused on concepts in swallowing, safety techniques for patients with dysphagia, and understanding caloric needs and nutrition after stroke. Volunteers who commit to feeding identified patients in the stroke unit at the Johns Hopkins Hospital will receive direct guidance from nursing and SLP staff about the patient they are assigned to. After the meal, the volunteer will report the amount of intake and observations about the feeding to staff members. With the potential to help up to 500 patients a year, this pilot project will establish the impact of such an intervention on patient nutritional status and clinical outcome.