Nutritional Rehabilitation and Early Refeeding of Severely Malnourished Patients

During this webinar, attendees will learn about the role of a dietitian in the refeeding process, as well as the co-existing medical conditions that can arise with severe malnutrition. We will overview how medical nutrition therapy can be used to treat these medical conditions, as well as when to consider the use of enteral or parenteral nutrition and how it can benefit a severely malnourished patient during the refeeding process.

Learning Objectives:

Following the presentation, attendees will:

1. Understand the role of the dietitian in the refeeding process of a severely malnourished patient.
2. Understand how to nourish patients with eating disorders who have co-existing medical complications.
3. Learn the pros and cons of using enteral and parenteral nutrition for severely malnourished patients.

Meghan Foley Bio:

Meghan Foley, RD, CEDRD-S, is the Nutrition Services Supervisor for ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders, where she has become an expert in using medical nutrition therapy to help treat severe eating disorders.

She became a registered dietitian in 2011, after completing her undergraduate degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Penn State University followed by her dietetic internship at the Virginia/Maryland WIC Program.  She began her career providing high-risk nutrition counseling for low-income women, infants, and children at the Maryland WIC program.  She then moved to Denver in 2013, where she became an RD working for Denver Health Medical Center in all areas in the hospital, gaining additional experience in treating multiple disease states, as well as experience in nutrition support.

In 2014, she was provided the opportunity to work full-time for the ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders by Denver Health.  She currently is the Nutrition Services Supervisor for ACUTE and continues to cover a clinical caseload as part of her job responsibilities.  Her years at ACUTE have allowed her the opportunity to become an expert in using medical nutrition therapy to help treat severe eating disorders, work on research projects with Dr. Philip Mehler and other members of the multidisciplinary team, and assist in the continued growth and expansion of ACUTE. Additionally, she recently earned IAEDP’s prestigious CED-RD credential, which confirms Foley’s extensive experience as a nutrition therapist, her commitment to stay abreast of current developments in the field through Continuing Education, and compliance with IAEDP’s stated Ethical Principles.