NEW DELHI: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences will now use a new app that will help doctors to provide nutrition diet charts for patients awaiting surgeries and transplants or undergoing cancer treatment.
Designed by Indian Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (IAPEN), the IMW tool kit is specifically meant for doctors and nurses. It was first introduced four years ago at the Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Assam.
“Nutrition is very important...It to be taken care of before and after the surgery of a patient for quick recovery. The app will help to maintain the chart better. The data saved in the app will be later be transferred in the AIIMS record,” said Dr Parmeet Kaur, chief dietitian, Dept of Dietetics, AIIMS.
“The app was successful (at Cachar), and, therefore, authorities decided to implement it. We also plan to extend it to other departments like ENT where we see many surgeries.”
Dr Parmeet informed that nutritional support for surgeries, especially after bariatric, plays a major role in quicker recover of patients.
“Surgeries cannot be done without considering the Body Mass Index of a patient. So the doctors need to evaluate if the patients are fit enough to undergo the surgery. Also, there is a psychological factor. More the patients stay on bed, it affects them psychologically. There are also chances of post surgery infection. So, proper diet reduces such risks.”
Apart from the IMW tool kit, the AIIMS is simultaneously working on its own app on a similar line whereby nutrition figures will be provided by the software.
“We are preparing our new app. Dubbed as ‘Nutrition Risk Screening’, the app is being used on trial basis on the patients. If successful, then we will use this app in all departments which conducts surgeries. It is expected to be launched soon by the director,” the AIIMS expert said.