The Doctor's Diet Orders
It is best to ask the doctor to write all his
orders, including the kind of diet the patient may have.
The home nurse has many responsibilities and should not
rely on memory in carrying out the doctor’s orders. When
the doctor prescribes a liquid, soft, light, or full
diet there should be clear understanding of what foods
may be included. Since food is an important part of the
treatment in many illnesses, the doctor’s instructions
as to diet should be followed with as much care as those
given for medicine.
When a special diet has been ordered, the home nurse
may need assistance in planning meals that not only meet
the patient’s needs and the family’s food habits but are
also within the limits of food budget. Special diets
need not be expensive. When the patient is hospitalized
and plans are being made for him to come home or if he
is receiving treatment in the hospital’s outpatient
department, a conference usually can be arranged with
the hospital staff dietitian or the clinic nutritionist
to discuss meal planning, methods of preparing special
foods, and the substitutions that can be made to meet
individual food preference. The doctor will give advice
and will know best where to obtain additional counseling
if it is needed. He may be able to recommend
authoritative books if it is needed. He may be able to
recommend authoritative books on nutrition available at
the local library. The public health nurse, because of
her knowledge of food and nutrition, may also be called
on assistance.
See also:
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