Previous research shows doctors often miss signs of malnutrition Nutrition needs to be made a more important part of the doctor training system, a leading expert has said.Gastroenterologist Dr Penny Neild, who works at London's St George's Hospital, said training on how to spot and tackle malnutrition was "patchy". She said medical schools and junior doctor programmes were focusing too much on the science of being a doctor rather than basic care. But regulators said courses should give medics a "good understanding". The issue of malnutrition has been a long-running concern in the NHS. The problem is that doctors do not recognise it and if it is not picked up the patients cannot be passed on to dieticians to address the problem Dr Penny Neild, gastroenterologist Up to one in four patients may be at risk, research shows. But the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (Bapen) campaign group has warned that doctors working both in hospitals and as GPs often miss the signs.[Read more...]