At the Regional Hospital of Santarém, a small drink made from nutritional supplement is added to patients' diets
The nutrition team of the unit found a new recipe as a way to increase adherence to diets and provide a different moment for hospitalized users
Small drink, flau, geladinho, sacolé, dindin. The frozen dessert is known by many names and is part of the routine of many children and even adults living in Pará and throughout Brazil. But now, this delight is also part of the daily life of patients hospitalized at the Dr. Waldemar Penna Regional Hospital of Lower Amazon (HRBA) in Santarém, western State.
The nutrition team of the unit decided to use the nutritional supplement, which is already part of the diet of many patients, to produce the food. The idea is to improve user acceptance and provide a different moment during meals, meeting each individual's nutritional needs with a very tasty dessert, either strawberry or chocolate.
"The small drink is based on specific supplements for each patient. We evaluate and use the product, just adding a little more milk. We saw the opportunity to offer this supplementation to patients in a different way. It improves adherence because we turn it into a more enjoyable, affectionate, and humanized moment. We want to welcome these users who are often with us for a long time," explained the HRBA nutrition coordinator, Adriana Lima.
The novelty pleased little Renzo Gael da Rocha, only 4 years old. He has been hospitalized in the pediatric clinic for about 10 days and really liked the small drink. "I liked it, I thought it was very tasty. It's strawberry, and I like it," he said.
The patient's mother, Raimunda Gilsa Santos, stated that the food made a difference in her son's recovery and that of the other little ones hospitalized. "It's a good idea to please the children. It changes the atmosphere, brings joy to them."
But those who think that only children approved the idea are mistaken. Silvana Rodrigues Sousa, 38 years old, is from the municipality of Brasil Novo, in southwestern Pará, and has been hospitalized at HRBA for a week. She was surprised to receive the dessert. "I never imagined. I thought it was tasty, very good. Back in my city, we call it small drink. I liked it a lot, it's approved."
Milk Room - The small drinks were produced, packaged, and frozen by the nutritionists in the hospital's milk room. The sector operates 24 hours a day for the production of prescribed diets for each patient, manipulation and bottling of enteral diets and supplements, provision of milk formulas for children, and heating of breast milk for babies hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The diets produced in the milk room serve users from the Hospitalization Units, ICUs, or those undergoing hemodialysis, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy in the unit. There are six milk room staff producing diets according to the maps prescribed by the nutritionists, which are valid for one day each. The monthly production averages 15,000 diets, including milk formulas, enteral diets, and supplementation.
In addition to ensuring quality food that meets users with all necessary nutrients, the Regional Hospital of Santarém also commits to promoting alternatives to improve patients' experiences during treatment.
"It is part of our hospital routine to seek new techniques that improve the patient's stay with us. So, our team found this peculiar way to offer supplements. We create a moment of relaxation for patients with the staff, an improvement in intake, and it becomes a different moment. Besides delivering health, we seek to deliver value, and humanization is one of our main pillars. So, it is a very important action for those going through a hospital stay," concluded the HRBA general director, Matheus Coutinho.
Service: Located in western Pará, the Regional Hospital of Lower Amazon is a reference in medium and high complexity for a population of 1.4 million people, residing in 29 municipalities, and provides 100% referenced service, meeting the demand originating from the State Regulation Center.
The unit belongs to the Government of Pará, being managed by the Social Institute Mais Saúde in partnership with the State Department of Public Health (Sespa). It operates at Avenida Sérgio Henn, No. 1100, in the Diamantino neighborhood, in Santarém.
