Nutrition team

A team dedicated to the prevention, screening and management of hospitalised patients suffering from malnutrition.

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Malnutrition during hospitalisation: an overlooked health issue

Malnutrition is an under-recognised killer, present on admission in 30 to 50% of hospitalised patients. Aware of this scourge, Belgium’s first multidisciplinary “Nutrition Support Team” was established at Erasme Hospital in 1986 in the form of a nutrition group. This pioneering work served as a model for the ministerial directive published in 2002 and amended in 2015, which provides funding for general hospitals to organise a nutrition team within their institution. The responsibilities assigned to these teams include developing, implementing and monitoring a targeted nutritional intervention strategy

Preventing, screening for and treating malnutrition in hospitalised patients

To optimise the care of malnourished patients and limit the risk of malnutrition developing or worsening during their hospital stay, our mission is to provide the tools needed to prevent, detect and manage malnutrition in hospitalised patients by integrating nutrition into their care pathway. We aim to improve their nutritional status, recovery, quality of life and independence after discharge.

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H.U.B Hôpital Erasme Equipe de Nutrition - Pyramide Alimentaire Getty images
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H.U.B Hôpital Erasme Equipe de Nutrition - Patient qui s'alimente Getty Images

A targeted intervention strategy

  • Systematic screening for the risk of undernutrition using validated scales (Nutritional Risk Score or Minimal Nutritional Assessment in geriatrics)
  • Assessment for a diagnosis of undernutrition according to the official ICD-11 criteria
  • Provision of a decision tree for the management of undernourished patients through dietary enrichment, the addition of oral nutritional supplements, enteral nutrition and/or parenteral nutrition.
  • Tools for monitoring complications of nutritional rehabilitation.

Multidisciplinary care for a personalised approach

Our strengths lie in the complementary nature of the expertise and the close collaboration between physicians from different specialties (internal medicine, gastroenterology, intensive care, paediatrics, geriatrics, ENT), dietitians, nurses specialised in nutrition, pharmacists and speech therapists. This coordinated approach makes it possible to identify nutritional risks at an early stage, develop personalised strategies and ensure continuity of care.

Our distinctive features are individualized care based on scientific evidence and tailored to the patient’s condition, needs and preferences. We favour a cross-disciplinary approach integrated into the clinical teams, as well as raising professionals’ awareness and providing them with training.

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Clinique de Pancréatologie et Support Nutritionnel Hôpital Erasme H.U.B

Nutritional follow-up after hospitalisation

We provide specialised follow-up for patients receiving clinical nutrition after hospitalisation, particularly in the context of enteral and parenteral nutrition, through dedicated medical, dietary and nursing consultations. This follow-up aims to ensure the effectiveness and safety of nutritional treatments, to prevent, detect and manage complications related to access devices and nutritional therapies at an early stage, and to promote optimal continuity of care between the hospital, the patient’s home and primary care professionals.

Our range of healthcare services

Consultations

  • Nutritional medicine
  • Dietetics
  • Nursing care

Nutritional assessment

  • “Nutrition” tab in Cyberlab

Prescription support

  • Xcare: protocol in case of risk of refeeding syndrome

Hospital Pharmacy

  • Parenteral nutrition mixtures

ENT / speech therapy

  • Endoscopic assessment of swallowing disorders, ENT–Speech Therapy

Our team

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Hôpital Erasme - H.U.B - Equipe de Nutrition

Doctors

  • Prof. Jean-Charles PREISER (team coordinator)
  • Prof. Marianna ARVANITAKIS
  • Prof. Alia HADEFI
  • Dr Katarina HALENAROVA-WINANT
  • Dr Pierre HANOTIER
  • Dr Céline ROMAN
  • Dr Nicolas ROPER

Dietitians

  • Gabrielle BRONNE
  • Sylvie FARINE
  • Virginie HAINAUT
  • Amandine SZALAI

Nurses

  • Ingrid AMORISON
  • Asuncion BALLARIN
  • Valérie BURION

ENT

  • Dr Nicolas ROPER

Speech therapists

  • Nathalie GUERRY
  • Agnès LEJEMTEL
  • Loriana SNEL

Pharmacy

  • Solène HEINRICH
  • Viviane LIEVIN
H.U.B Hôpital Erasme - Equipe de nutrition - Formations - médecin qui prend des notes devant son ordinateur Getty Images

Our training programmes

Seminars

  • Intensive care
  • Internal medicine
  • Gastroenterology

Articles 

  • Nutrition series in the Revue Médicale de Bruxelles

Organisation of scientific meetings

  • Dietetics congress
  • Clinical nutrition symposium

Participation in continuing education programmes

  • University certificate in human nutrition 
  • Inter-university certificate in Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents (ED)
  • Inter-university certificate in clinical nutrition
  • Certificate in nutrition and cancer
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recherche

Research & Innovation in Nutrition

  • Innovative endoscopic techniques
  • Nutrition modalities
  • Addition of pharmaconutrients
  • Study of the microbiota
  • Participation in international audits (Nutrition Day)
  • Analysis of body composition in patients treated with radiotherapy