Malnutrition in Canada is an overlooked health issue that can have a huge impact on individuals and the health care system. When it comes to pediatric malnutrition, the stakes are even higher, calling for urgent transformation in how we address and prevent it. . The Canadian Malnutrition Task Force, a group of clinicians, researchers and decision makers, has been advancing nutrition care research and education to address the prevention, detection, and treatment of malnutrition across many health sectors. Dr. Jessie Hulst is a staff physician in the division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the Hospital for Sick Children, and Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Nutritional Sciences of the University of Toronto. She previously served as a Staff Gastroenterologist at Sophia Children's Hospital in Rotterdam, Netherlands (2011-2018). Her PhD focused on nutritional assessment in critically ill children, development of a nutritional risk screening tool (STRONGkids), and she has authored > 100 peer-reviewed publications. She has been involved in the implementation of the Dutch Malnutrition Taskforce pediatric malnutrition pathway and mandatory National Hospital Quality Indicators and is the co-chair of the pediatric working group of the Canadian Malnutrition Taskforce. Daina Kalnins is a registered dietitian and Director of Clinical Dietetics at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, which includes the Breastfeeding Program. Daina is a strong advocate for supporting evidence-based practice and has engaged her Clinical Dietetics team in caring safely practices, as well as quality improvement initiatives. She also works in the CF clinic and the lung transplant program, and has authored/co-authored over 16 publications and chapters related to CF, as well as several books on infant and children’s nutrition. In this episode, Dr. Hulst and Daina discuss transforming pediatric malnutrition care.
