Kimberley Browning

Dietitian, Health NZ, Auckland, NZ

Kimberley Browning is a New Zealand Registered Dietitian with over 10 years of clinical experience. She currently works as the dietitian for the inpatient surgical ORL service at Auckland City Hospital, providing nutrition care for patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancer and other complex ORL conditions.
 
Kimberley has a particular interest in optimising enteral nutrition delivery and improving nutrition care pathways for surgical patients. She recently updated the ORL out-of-hours feeding protocol to support timely initiation of nutrition support and reduce delays in feeding. She is currently undertaking an audit of enteral feeding practices on the ORL ward, evaluating nutrition delivery against prescribed requirements, and identifying opportunities to improve patient outcomes through quality improvement initiatives. Her emerging area of interest is the measurement of resting energy expenditure using indirect calorimetry to better individualise nutrition support for patients with complex surgical and oncology needs.

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Nutrition in Head and Neck Patients 

​Head and neck cancer and surgery can have a significant impact on nutritional status long before treatment begins. Following the journey of a patient with head and neck cancer from diagnosis through to surgery and recovery, this session will explore the nutritional challenges encountered throughout treatment, including pain, swallowing difficulties, and treatment-related side effects that can contribute to weight loss and malnutrition.
 
Practical nutrition strategies used to support patients at each stage of care, including oral nutrition support and enteral feeding, will be discussed. Key recommendations from the latest ASPEN guidelines will be incorporated, providing an evidence-based overview of current best practice in nutrition care for patients with head and neck cancer.