The Dutch Malnutrition Steering Group has developed a method of working that uses both a bottom-up and a top down approach. This method has been used in all health care settings in the Netherlands to implement malnutrition screening and treatment.
Instruments, tools and toolkits are developed, tested and adapted in close collaboration with workers in the field. The materials are therefore closely related to clinical practice and this enhances implementation. The materials are presented to the participating institutions using workshops. These create an environment for sharing knowledge and experiences as well as for exchanging ideas and discussing problems. The workshops are free of charge for institutions and home care organisations that have agreed to adopt the DMG way of working (for more information click here). The institutions greatly appreciate these workshops because they are easy accessible and because they encourage shared learning from experience.
Furthermore we have created a continuous system of data-collection for both the screening and the treatment of malnutrition thus creating an environment of continuous audit and feedback.
The DMG has developed numerous instruments, toolkits, power-point presentations and other educational materials for institutions to use. All these materials are accessible from our Dutch website free of charge. When they have been translated into English, we will also publish them on this website. Institutions and home care organisations can download and adapt them for use in their own local situation. An additional and important feature of the website is that it is also a very useful forum for sharing news and exchanging ideas on an interactive basis.