For you were hungry and I gave you food: The prevalence and treatment of malnutrition in patients with acute hip fracture.

Abstract

Hip fractures are a common clinical problem with substantial morbidity and difficult recovery. Preexisting malnutrition has been shown to be common in those patients and a substantial risk factor for poorer outcomes, increased length of stay, and mortality. Additionally, great variability exists in reported malnutrition prevalence rates owing to the variety of nutrition screening and assessment tools utilized globally to identify malnutrition in these patients. Although previous data and a recent Cochrane review have not proven the value of nutrition supplements, we highlight several articles that show an opportunity for improvement in the nutrition care of patients sustaining hip fractures along with a multicenter randomized trial demonstrating the value of carefully designed nutrition intervention. There is also evidence that malnourished patients with hip fracture are still being undertreated. Current guidelines are reviewed, and continued efforts on the part of the clinicians to follow the guidelines as well as lowering the barriers to high-quality nutrition research is discussed.