The NANA system is a tool that makes it easy for patients to enter the type and quantity of food, snacks and drinks taken throughout the day. It can be used to monitor dietary intake, mood cognition and physical function. Users are prompted to take pictures of leftover food, so that carers can know exactly how much food a person has consumed.
Eleni Tsiompanou, associate specialist in palliative medicine at Princess Alice Hospice, commented on the potential palliative care benefits, saying “This can help identify those vulnerable, elderly adults who may need more input and support to improve their food intake”.
“As most of palliative care is provided in the community, in people’s homes and nursing and residential homes, this tool could be of benefit to the nutritional care of patients and carers.”
“It could also be a valuable research tool in hospices and the community to help research nutritional and holistic care issues.”
Monitoring food intake is important, as 1 in 3 adults who live independently are considered to be at risk of malnutrition. There is no easy way to spot patients with malnutrition, as there is no easy way to track what people eat and drink at home.
Dr Liz Williams, senior lecturer in human nutrition at the University of Sheffield said “The advantage of the system to me as a nutritionist is that I get to see the food that is actually on the plate.“
Dr Williams has been developing the NANA system alongside a collaborative team of academics from the Universities of Sheffield, St Andrews, Bath and Reading, together with input from 400 older adults across the UK. The NANA system has been tested in the community in over 100 care homes, although here has not yet been the opportunity to test the system in a hospice or palliative care setting.
The NANA system has been developed primarily for research purposes, although a number of organisations such as care homes have expressed using the system in their locations.
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