Clinical Nutrition

The Department of Clinical Nutrition at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, was established when the hospital opened in 1994. It has developed comprehensively in medical care, teaching, scientific research collaboration, and other areas, and is an independent discipline with distinctive characteristics. Relying on the hospital’s extensive clinical resources, it provides nutritional services for patients throughout the hospital. Its main responsibilities include nutritional screening, nutritional assessment, nutritional therapy, and the preparation of therapeutic diets for all inpatients. The department has established several specialized nutrition clinics to address the nutritional and dietary concerns of patients with different diseases, provide answers and guidance, and prescribe targeted, individualized nutrition and dietary plans. The Department of Clinical Nutrition is a technical filing entity for the verification and evaluation of special foods whose filing has been accepted by the State Administration for Market Regulation. It is qualified to conduct product testing, safety and efficacy verification, and clinical trials related to the registration or filing of special foods. In 2023, the Department of Clinical Nutrition was selected as a “National Demonstration Unit for Clinical Nutrition Department Development” awarded by the Institute of Hospital Administration of the National Health Commission. It has received such honors as the “2022 Zhejiang Province National Nutrition Week Innovative Communication Award,” “Outstanding Group in Nutrition Work, 2021-2022,” “Top Ten Clinical Nutrition Departments in Zhejiang Province, 2019,” “Top 100 Medical Nutrition Weight-Loss Teaching Base, 2019-2020,” “Outstanding Organization Award for National Obesity Management, 2017-2018,” and “Advanced Unit for Nutrition Discipline Development, 2017.”

Technical Advantages

The outpatient clinics currently available provide professional, individualized nutrition management plans for the following groups:

(1) Medical nutrition weight management: individualized nutrition plans for people with obesity/overweight; medical nutrition guidance for people who are underweight or malnourished;

(2) Perinatal and women’s nutrition management: nutrition management before, during, and after pregnancy and during the puerperium; individualized nutrition guidance for gestational diabetes mellitus; weight management for polycystic ovary syndrome;

(3) Metabolism-related diseases: medical nutrition therapy for diabetes, hyperuricemia, gout, hyperlipidemia, metabolic syndrome, and other conditions;

(4) Digestive system diseases: medical nutrition therapy for inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, fatty liver, cirrhosis, constipation, diarrhea, and other conditions;

(5) Nutritional therapy for cancer: nutritional support therapy for patients undergoing radiotherapy or chemotherapy; relevant enteral and parenteral nutrition support plans for patients with poor appetite, difficulty eating, and other needs;

(6) Nutritional support for kidney disease: medical nutrition therapy for chronic kidney disease, dialysis, and other conditions;

(7) Nutrition management for adolescent growth and development: growth and development assessments for adolescents aged 14-18 years, with individualized nutrition guidance, exercise recommendations, and, when necessary, medication treatment plans;

Specialty joint clinics: (1) Joint Clinic for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus; (2) Joint Clinic for Refractory Constipation; (3) Joint Clinic for Inflammatory Bowel Disease; (4) Joint Clinic for Women’s Health Regulation; (5) Joint Nutrition Clinic for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Academic Status

A council member institution of the Zhejiang Society of Clinical Medicine

Research Achievements

Department members have successively led and participated in 13 research projects at various levels, published more than 20 high-quality papers in core journals, and obtained 4 invention patents and 1 utility model patent.