[NST Club] Campus event "Supporting 'Eating' in Life" held!

On July 22nd, the NST (Nutrition Support Team) Club held an on-campus event titled "Supporting 'Eating' in Life: Thinking Together with Certified Nurses in Feeding and Swallowing Disorders."

For this event, following on from last November, we invited Mr. Toshiki Mitsumori, a certified nurse specializing in feeding and swallowing disorders at Hyogo College of Medicine Hospital, as Lecturer. He gave a presentation on professional perspectives on supporting "eating," and we also conducted a case study based on actual cases.

In the lecture, the mechanisms and precautions for each stage of eating and swallowing were explained, and essential concepts for clinical practice, such as "no choking does not mean it is safe," "oral care is important even with tube feeding," and "thickening is not effective for all patients," were explained in an easy-to-understand manner, incorporating true/false quizzes.

In the subsequent case study, students analyzed the patient's condition within their groups and engaged in a lively exchange of ideas from the perspective of "how can we ensure that patients can continue to eat safely?" They learned about the process of multidisciplinary collaboration to consider the optimal support for each individual patient, taking into account the roles of each professional, such as nurses, registered dietitians, and speech-language pathologists (STs).

Through the lecture, the students learned that "eating" is not merely about "ingesting" nutrients and calories, but is deeply connected to a person's life, lifestyle, and sense of purpose, and that it is important to support each patient while respecting their individual values. Many students were seen diligently taking notes and actively exchanging opinions during the case study discussion, making it a valuable opportunity to cultivate the "thinking skills" necessary for professionals.

Mei Watanabe, a third-year student in Faculty of Global Nursing who participated in the event, commented, "I learned that eating is not just about nutritional intake, but is deeply connected to a person's life background and sense of purpose. Therefore, I understood that respecting a person's values and feelings about food, and creating an environment such as the form of food and positioning according to the risk of aspiration, leads to safe oral intake. I also reaffirmed that nutrition is not just about calorie intake, but that oral intake also has a positive impact on maintaining function and improving motivation. I would like to apply the perspectives I learned this time to observing patients and practicing nursing in future clinical training."

The NST Club will continue to value its connections with healthcare professionals and actively create opportunities for practical learning about multidisciplinary collaboration and nutritional management.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone at Hyogo College of Medicine Hospital and Mr. Toshiki Mitsumori for their cooperation in accepting our hospital site visit last September, and for providing us with valuable lectures and case studies again this time, following on from last November.

(Source: Student Affairs Division Osaka Castle Campus)