One in Three Elderly Hospital Patients Suffer From Malnutrition

One in three elderly hospital patients suffer from malnutrition, but go largely unnoticed by hospital staff, Australian research has revealed. The study, in the journal Nutrition & Dietetics published by Wiley-Blackwell, found risk factors for malnutrition, such as recent weight loss and poor appetite, were being overlooked, and malnourished patients were not being referred to dietitians.

Of the 100 patients involved in the study at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s hospital, 91 were either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. While 73 of these patients had recent weight loss and loss of appetite, only seven were identified and referred to a dietitian, and only three had their weight recorded in their medical chart.

Study co-author and Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) Alison Bowie said: ‘Malnourished patients are more susceptible to infections and complications, tend to spend longer in hospital, and are at a greater risk of their health deteriorating. Hospitals need to get better at identifying at-risk patients early on, and referring them to an APD for treatment.’

Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) Executive Director Claire Hewat said malnutrition was rife in hospitals, but also affected people in the wider community, including those in nursing homes.

‘In dealing with the obesity crisis, the silent epidemic of malnutrition has been largely forgotten, but we’ve made tackling malnutrition a priority. Our dietitian members are working on guidelines to better manage the condition, and programs to educate health professionals on screening for malnutrition and when to refer a patient to an APD,’ said Ms Hewat.

She said simple nutrition strategies, such as routine screening for malnutrition and educating health professionals on what to look for, could help improve patient health and also save health care dollars.

Ms Bowie said she would like to see joint programs between hospital and community health workers to address malnutrition, better quality control of hospital meals, and assistance for patients needing help to eat.

This paper is published in June 2008, Nutrition and Dietetics.

Source: Blackwell Publishing

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