Abstract
Nutritional status is relevant to functional recovery in patients after an acute process requiring rehabilitation. Nevertheless, little is known about the impact of malnutrition on geriatric rehabilitation. This study aimed to determine the association between nutritional status at admission and the evolution of functional and physical outcomes, as well as the capability of nutritional status to identify fallers among patients admitted to geriatric rehabilitation for different reasons. This was a retrospective cohort study of 375 patients. Data collected included age, gender, diagnosis at admission, comorbidities, cognitive and nutritional status, functional and physical measurements, length of stay, mortality and falls. Orthogeriatric patients with worse nutritional status according to the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) had a significantly lower Barthel Index at admission and discharge with worse functional gain and poorer outcomes in the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). However, in hospital-deconditioned patients, the MNA-SF score was not significantly associated with functional and physical recovery. Poor nutritional status at admission increased the risk of experiencing at least one fall during rehabilitation in orthogeriatric patients. However, hospital-deconditioned patients who fell had better SPPB scores than those who did not fall. Our results demonstrate the importance of nutritional status in the clinical evolution of orthogeriatric patients throughout the rehabilitation process.
Highlights
In older adults, hospitalization due to an acute illness is often associated with increased functional and cognitive decline [1,2]
In a cross-sectional study carried out in deconditioned patients undergoing rehabilitation in a geriatric day hospital, lower nutritional status was not associated with poorer physical performance [55]. In another cross-sectional study carried out with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, poorer nutrition did not show an independent association with lower physical performance [56]. These results suggest that recovery of physical performance in hospital-deconditioned patients could be dependent on other factors not detected by the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF)
Malnutrition was highly prevalent among older patients in the post-hospitalization rehabilitation ward
Summary
Hospitalization due to an acute illness is often associated with increased functional and cognitive decline [1,2]. After hospitalization, some older adults are temporarily admitted to an in-patient geriatric rehabilitation ward with the aim of recovering their functional and physical status so that they can return to their homes. There are large differences between countries regarding the structure and delivery of geriatric rehabilitation, care is usually administered by a multidisciplinary team consisting of at least a physician trained in geriatric rehabilitation, a physiotherapist and a nurse [4]. Patients admitted to these units include orthogeriatric
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
