By: Manoah Kikekon
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| Dr. Daphnee Lovesley, |
LAGOS, NIGERIA – Global health experts are calling for a radical shift in hospital protocols, advocating for a “Golden Hour” approach to nutritional screening to address the staggering rates of malnutrition in clinical settings.
The call to action came during a high-level webinar hosted by the West African Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (WASPEN) and the Indian Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ISPEN).
The collaboration aims to dismantle the "silent crisis" of hospital-acquired malnutrition, which experts warn is significantly driving up mortality rates and healthcare costs across Africa and Asia.
A Silent Crisis: 11 Patients Undiagnosed Every Minute
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Daphnee Lovesley, Chief Clinical Dietitian at Apollo Hospitals, presented a sobering reality: every 60 seconds, at least 11 hospitalised patients go undiagnosed with malnutrition.
According to Dr. Lovesley, nearly two-thirds of patients are already malnourished when they arrive at the hospital, a figure that climbs to 85% in parts of Africa. The danger lies in the "nutrition gap" the delay between admission and the start of nutritional support.
“If we delay our nutrition prescription for more than 24 hours, the patient is at extreme risk,” Dr. Lovesley cautioned.
The "Golden Hour" Framework
To combat this, experts are pushing for a mandatory "Golden Hour" framework. Under this proposal, every patient would undergo nutritional screening within the first six hours of admission. This early window is critical for identifying risks such as sarcopenia the rapid loss of muscle mass which leads to increased frailty, higher fracture risks, and prolonged recovery times.
The webinar highlighted the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) as the gold standard for identification. By using indicators like involuntary weight loss and reduced dietary intake, multidisciplinary teams can flag high-risk patients before their condition deteriorates.
A Call for Government and Institutional Reform
Dr. Teresa Pounds, President of WASPEN, emphasized that clinical nutrition must be treated as a core component of medical treatment, not an afterthought. She urged the Nigerian Federal Government to fast-track the operationalisation of the Nutritional Steering Committee (NSC) across all healthcare tiers.
“When we work together, we achieve more,” Dr. Pounds stated. She called on Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) and private hospital administrators to: Establish multidisciplinary nutrition steering committees. Enforce mandatory screening within 24 hours of admission. Implement "protected mealtimes" to ensure patients can eat without clinical interruptions.
The Economic and Human Cost
The consequences of ignoring nutrition are both physical and financial. Untreated malnutrition typically extends hospital stays by two to three days, increases the likelihood of hospital-acquired infections, and causes delayed wound healing. For already strained healthcare systems, these avoidable delays represent a massive waste of resources.
Looking Ahead: WASPEN 2026
As part of the ongoing mission to domesticate global best practices, Dr. Pounds invited healthcare professionals to the upcoming WASPEN Conference, scheduled for June 22-25, 2026. The event will serve as a primary platform for advancing clinical nutrition practice across West Africa.
“Nutritional assessment remains the most effective tool for preventing morbidity and early mortality,” Dr. Pounds concluded, reaffirming that the path to better patient outcomes begins with what is on the plate.