CLINICAL NUTRITION AND PALLIATIVE CARE IN MEDICAL EMERGENCIES
Keywords:
clinical nutrition; palliative care; emergency medicine; malnutrition; hydration; end-of-life careAbstract
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46296/yc.v10i19.0927
Abstract
Medical emergency care involves highly complex clinical scenarios in which decisions must be rapid, proportionate, and centered on patient dignity. Within this context, clinical nutrition and palliative care are two care components that are often addressed separately, even though they converge in older adults, oncology patients, critically ill patients, and people with advanced chronic or life-limiting diseases. The aim of this article was to analyze, through a recent literature review, the relationship between clinical nutrition, palliative care, and emergency care, considering nutritional screening, hydration, clinically assisted nutrition, symptom control, and therapeutic goal planning. Scientific articles published between 2021 and 2025 were reviewed, prioritizing clinical guidelines, reviews, qualitative studies, scoping reviews, and clinical trials related to the topic. The evidence shows that malnutrition and dehydration are prevalent and underdiagnosed conditions among vulnerable patients attending emergency departments; however, nutrition care is frequently limited to screening and is rarely connected to intervention and follow-up plans. Likewise, palliative care initiated in emergency settings supports the recognition of comfort needs, communication, and treatment proportionality, although barriers related to time, training, and coordination remain. It is concluded that integrating nutritional and palliative protocols into emergency care improves clinical coherence, prevents disproportionate interventions, and guides individualized decisions according to prognosis, functional status, and patient values.
Keywords: clinical nutrition; palliative care; emergency medicine; malnutrition; hydration; end-of-life care.
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References
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