Active nutrition policy in the implementation of the hospital nutritional support; results of an observational study

Abstract

Malnutrition at hospitals is responsible for high morbidity and mortality** rates. This study aims at describing the results of the implementation of a hospital nutrition program with an eventual deployment of nutritional support. Observational, prospective, single-centre design. All adult patients consecutively admited in our hospital during the period January 2012-September 2013 were registered. The implementation of the nutrion program consisted of: nutritional assessment at admitance; examination of the patient with indications for starting nutritional support; implementation of nutritional support; monitoring and follow-up. 1,268 patients were admited. 1,234 patients (97.3%) underwent a nutritional assesment by means of Subjective Global Assessment. 821 patients (66.5%) were identified with cathegory A, 280 patients (22.7%) with cathegory B, and 60 patients (4.9%) with cathegory C. 269 patients (21.8%) presented indications for nutritional support of which 227 (84.4%) did receive it. A total of 219 patients (64.4%) out of the 340 patients (27.6%) representing the global figure of malnutrition at the hospital (cathegories B + C), presented indications for starting some kind of nutritional support. 181 patients (82.6%) initiated this nutritional support. 28 patients (73.7%) out of the 38 patients (17.3%) who did not initiate it showed EGS C, being the patients ominous prognostic the main reason for not starting the nutritional support. The aplication of a program aimed at the eventual implementation of nutritional support allowed the nutritional assessment of a high percentage of inpatients and the correct use of nutritional support on a high percentage of these patients.