Clinical nutrition and human rights. An international position paper. Issue 6 (June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cardenas, Diana; Correia, Maria Isabel Toulson Davisson; Ochoa, Juan B.; Hardy, Gil; Rodriguez-Ventimilla, Dolores; Bermúdez, Charles E.; Papapietro, Karin; Hankard, Régis; Briend, André; Ungpinitpong, Winai; Zakka, Katerina Mary; Pounds, Teresa; Cuerda, Cristina; Barazzoni, Rocco
• Is Part Of: Clinical nutrition. Volume 40:Issue 6(2021)
• Page Start: 4029
• Page End: 4036
• Publication Date: 2021-06
• Subjects: Human rights -- Food -- Health -- Disease -- Disease-related malnutrition -- Artificial nutrition therapy; AIDS Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome -- AANH Artificially administered nutrition and hydration -- ASPEN American Society for Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition -- CESCR Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights -- DOHaD Developmental origins of health and disease -- DRM Disease-related malnutrition -- ESPEN European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism -- FELANPE Latin American Federation of Nutritional Therapy, Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism -- HIV Human immunodeficiency virus -- HRBA The human rights-based approach -- ICESCR International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights -- PENSA Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Society of Asia -- UN United Nations -- WASPEN West African Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition; Critically ill -- Nutrition -- Periodicals; Diet therapy -- Periodicals; Parenteral feeding -- Periodicals; Enteral feeding -- Periodicals; Enteral Nutrition -- Periodicals; Parenteral Nutrition -- Periodicals; Metabolism -- Periodicals; Diétothérapie -- Périodiques; Alimentation parentérale -- Périodiques; Alimentation entérale -- Périodiques; Nutrition -- Périodiques; Diet therapy; Enteral feeding; Nutrition; Parenteral feeding; Electronic journals; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 615.854
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2021.02.039
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0261-5614

Abstract

Summary: The International Working Group for Patients' Right to Nutritional Care presents its position paper regarding nutritional care as a human right intrinsically linked to the right to food and the right to health. All people should have access to food and evidence-based medical nutrition therapy including artificial nutrition and hydration. In this regard, the hospitalized malnourished ill should mandatorily have access to screening, diagnosis, nutritional assessment, with optimal and timely nutritional therapy in order to overcome malnutrition associated morbidity and mortality, while reducing the rates of disease-related malnutrition. This right does not imply there is an obligation to feed all patients at any stage of life and at any cost. On the contrary, this right implies, from an ethical point of view, that the best decision for the patient must be taken and this may include, under certain circumstances, the decision not to feed. Application of the human rights-based approach to the field of clinical nutrition will contribute to the construction of a moral, political and legal focus to the concept of nutritional care. Moreover, it will be the cornerstone to the rationale of political and legal instruments in the field of clinical nutrition.