[NST Club] Visit to Nishinomiya Kyoritsu Neurosurgical Hospital's NST Round and EST Conference

On February 5th, as part of the activities of Otemae University NST (Nutrition Support Team) Club, we had the opportunity to observe the NST round and EST (Eating Support Team) conference at Nishinomiya Kyoritsu Neurosurgical Hospital.

The event was a valuable opportunity to learn firsthand about multidisciplinary nutrition management initiatives being implemented in actual clinical settings. At the clinical settings, a range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, registered dietitians, pharmacists, speech-language-hearing therapists, and dentists, shared their opinions from their respective perspectives and engaged in lively discussions about patients who need to improve their nutritional status due to factors such as impaired swallowing function, impaired consciousness, and disuse syndrome.

Based on objective information such as the patient's background and condition, CT images, and blood data, the students were given a detailed explanation of why each nutritional management method was being proposed, and they looked on with serious expressions as they toured the facility.

It was impressive to see how they didn't just look at "current nutritional status," but also considered "what goals to set and when to conduct the evaluation," taking into account the patient's living conditions and ADL (activities of daily living) before hospitalization, prospects for future recovery, and even the living environment and support system after discharge. Furthermore, they placed importance on how to reflect the wishes of the patient and their family as the foundation of the treatment policy, and there were many instances where I realized that nutritional management is medical care that supports not only the "body" but also "life."

■Comments from advisory teachers
The accompanying faculty member (Lecturer Ryotaro Tsuchitani, Faculty of Global Nursing) had this to say about the tour:

"The NST is not a place for final decisions, but rather a place where a multidisciplinary team considers the best possible proposal for the patient, with the final decision ultimately being made by the patient's attending physician. This is why I strongly felt the importance of each specialist continuing to improve their knowledge and skills so that proposals can be more effective and reliable. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude for the sincere answers they gave to the students' questions not only about nutritional management, but also about their future career paths and employment."

■ Comments from participating students
Hayashi Haruki, a third-year student Faculty of Global Nursing who participated in the tour, commented, "By observing an actual NST conference, I was able to understand the process by which a range of professionals, including doctors, nurses and registered dietitians, evaluate a patient's nutritional status from a professional perspective and consider future treatment and care policies. I also learned that nutritional assessment is a comprehensive assessment that takes into account not only test results, but also the wishes of the patient and their family, and their life after discharge. It was a valuable experience that I would not have been able to gain in class."

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone at Nishinomiya Kyoritsu Neurosurgical Hospital for providing us with this valuable learning opportunity.

Otemae University NST Club will continue to value on-site learning and continue activities to deepen understanding of expertise and team medical care.

(Source: Osaka Otemae Campus Student Affairs Division)