2016/10/13 by Yogesh Sharma, Michelle Miller, Rashmi Shahi +3
paper · doi:10.12968/bjon.2016.25.18.1006
Background: The rate of malnutrition among hospitalised elderly patients in Australia is 42.3%. Malnutrition is known to lead to significant adverse outcomes for the patients and increase hospital costs through increased use of resources. Aim: This study assessed nutrition screening adequacy and investigated factors associated with missed opportunity to diagnose malnutrition. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study involving 205 general medical patients aged ≥60 years admitted acutely in a tertiary hospital over a period of 1 year. Patients who were not given initial nutritional screening were noted and all patients underwent nutritional assessment. The researchers assessed demographic data and performed univariate analysis of factors responsible for missed nutritional screening. Results: Only 99 patients (49.5%) were screened for malnutrition and 100 (50.3%) missed initial nutritional screening (data incomplete for 6 patients). Of those screened, more were malnourished (n=64; 61.5%) than those not screened (n=40; 38.5%), p