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- Title
Nutritional screening and dietitian consultation rates in a geriatric evaluation and management unit.
- Authors
Dent, Elsa; Wright, Olivia; Hoogendijk, Emiel O.; Hubbard, Ruth E.
- Abstract
Aim: Nutritional screening may not always lead to intervention. The present study aimed to determine: (i) the rate of nutritional screening in hospitalised older adults; (ii) whether nutritional screening led to dietitian consultation and (iii) factors associated with malnutrition. Methods: In this prospective study of patients aged ≥70 years admitted to a Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit (GEMU), malnutrition was screened for using the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA‐SF) and identified using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Results: Of the 172 patients participating in the study, 53 (30.8%) patients were malnourished, and 84 (48.8%) were at risk of malnutrition. Mean (SD) age was 85.2 (6.4 years), with 131 patients (76.2%) female. Nutritional screening was performed for all patients; however, it was incomplete in 59 (34.3%) because of omission of the anthropometric measurement. Overall, 62 (36.0%) of the total number of patients were seen by the dietitian, which included 26 (49%) of malnourished patients, 27 (32%) of at‐risk patients and 9 (26%) of the well‐nourished patients. No patients lost >1% of body weight during GEMU stay. Malnourished patients were more likely to be frail, have poor appetite, depression, and have lower levels of: albumin, cognition, physical function, grip strength and quality of life. Conclusions: The full benefits of nutritional screening by MNA‐SF may not be realised if it does not result in malnourished patients receiving a dietitian consultation. However, it is possible that enrichment of the foodservice with high protein/high‐energy options minimised patient weight loss in the GEMU.
- Subjects
MALNUTRITION risk factors; HOSPITAL care of older people; APPETITE; BEDSORE risk factors; COGNITION in old age; MENTAL depression; DIETITIANS; FRAIL elderly; GRIP strength; LIFE skills; LONGITUDINAL method; NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL tests; NUTRITIONAL assessment; NUTRITION counseling; PROBABILITY theory; PSYCHOLOGICAL tests; QUALITY of life; RESEARCH; RESEARCH funding; SERUM albumin; DATA analysis software; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; BARTHEL Index; OLD age
- Publication
Nutrition & Dietetics, 2018, Vol 75, Issue 1, p11
- ISSN
1446-6368
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/1747-0080.12391