Food is Medicine Prospective Study

This project addresses critical gaps in our understanding of how malnutrition affects recovery in orthopaedic trauma patients by focusing on three key outcomes: (1) the incidence of acute wound complications, (2) metabolic biomarker changes over time, and (3) patient-reported outcomes (PROMIS scores) and impact (qualitative survey) during the recovery period. By systematically investigating these outcomes, the project aims to understand how post-operative meal supplementation can be optimized to reduce complications and improve recovery. The findings will have significant implications for clinical practice, particularly in developing nutritional programs and guidelines that can be integrated into post-operative care protocols to improve outcomes and reduce healthcare costs for orthopaedic trauma patients.