Department of Nutrition & Metabolism
Overview
The Department of Nutrition & Metabolism – Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital is a specialized unit playing a pivotal role in comprehensive health care for patients and the community, with a team of physicians, nutritionists, nurses, food technology engineers, and beverage technicians trained thoroughly and deeply. The Department implements guideline‑based nutrition interventions and dietary regimens grounded in scientific evidence, regularly updated and standardized to optimize treatment efficacy and improve patients’ quality of life.
In the context of increasing demand for prevention and treatment of nutritional issues, besides personalized nutrition intervention and counseling, the Department of Nutrition & Metabolism intensifies nutrition communication and education activities for the community. With the motto “Proper nutrition – The golden key to health”, we believe that nutrition is the foundation of modern medicine, a sustainable factor that enables people to live healthier and happier lives.
Strength
The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics is responsible for evaluating, diagnosing, and conducting nutritional assessments for inpatient and outpatient patients at the hospital in order to provide individualized nutritional interventions that are appropriate to the disease, treatment stage, and the patient's response.
In dietetic nutrition activities, the Department organizes the development and design of diverse inpatient menus, adhering to the hospital diet code guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health. The Department also participates in comprehensive management of the meal preparation and delivery process, ensuring suitability for each disease group and meeting nutritional quality and food safety requirements when providing meals to patients. For patients receiving tube feeding or requiring oral nutritional supplementation, the Department provides medical nutrition products and prepared soups according to prescriptions to ensure treatment efficacy and patient safety.
Training & Research
The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics actively participates in training, updating medical knowledge and clinical nutrition practice skills for healthcare staff both within and outside the hospital. At the same time, the Department serves as a practical training base for clinical nutrition positions, organizes specialized clinical nutrition technical certificate courses, and provides internship guidance for students and trainees of related fields.
In addition, the department focuses on conducting scientific research projects, quality improvement initiatives, and applying new medical evidence to nutrition practice, contributing to improved patient care quality and sustainable professional development.
Health education and nutrition communication are among the core activities of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics. Through direct counseling, group health education, and the development of materials and articles on common topics such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, kidney failure, food allergies, digestive issues, and food safety, the Department helps raise awareness, enabling patients and the community to correctly understand and effectively apply nutrition in disease prevention, treatment, and health recovery.
Equipments
The Nutrition Consultation Clinic is equipped with a full range of modern tools and equipment for nutrition assessment and counseling, including body composition analyzers, muscle strength measurement devices, skinfold thickness calipers, food model sets, and meal planning software. These devices enhance the accuracy of nutritional status assessment and the development of appropriate diets for each patient.
In addition, there is a separate milk soup preparation area operated by a team of preparation technicians. The process is synchronized and systematic, covering ingredient management, milk soup registration, preparation, delivery, and post-use equipment handling, to ensure the quality and food safety of each prepared product. The soup and milk room provides an average of 500–600 servings per day across six shifts, offering a variety of soup and milk formulas suitable for different disease groups as prescribed by physicians.
The dining kitchen system of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City is fully equipped to meet food safety and hygiene requirements and to prepare nutritional meals for inpatients, with a capacity of nearly 2,000 servings per day.
Staff
To provide patients with optimal nutrition solutions, the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City has a highly specialized staff, including Professors, Doctors, PhDs, Masters, Physicians, Specialty I doctors, Food Technology Engineers, Bachelor of Nursing, Bachelor of Nutrition, and technicians who work closely together, creating a multidisciplinary collaboration that enhances the effectiveness of nutrition counseling, care, and treatment for patients.