Short-term individual nutritional care as part of routine clinical setting improves outcome and quality of life in malnourished medical patients

Abstract

Strategies to treat malnutrition lack practicability in the hospital setting. The present study aimed at developing and evaluating a routinely manageable concept for an improved nutritional care of malnourished in-hospital patients. A randomized controlled intervention study was conducted. 132 risk patients defined by Nutritional Risk Screening 2002, were randomized to individualised nutrition support (intervention group [n=66]) or standard hospital care (control group [n=66]). Body weight, plasma vitamin levels, quality of life, complications, antibiotic therapies, readmissions and mortality were assessed. Nutrition interventions led to higher intakes (mean [standard deviation]) in energy (1553 [341]kcal vs. 1115 [381]kcal, p<0.001) and protein (65.4 [16.4]g vs. 43.9 [17.2]g, p<0.001). Intervention patients (n=66) kept their body weight in comparison to control patients (n=66; 0.0 [2.9]kg vs. -1.4 [3.2]kg, p=0.008). Positive effects on plasma ascorbic acid level (46.7 [26.7]μmol/l vs. 34.1 [24.2]μmol/l, p=0.010), SF-36 function summary scale (37 [11] % vs. 32 [9] %, p=0.030), number of complications (4/66 vs. 13/66, p=0.035), antibiotic therapies (1/66 vs. 8/66, p=0.033) and readmissions (17/64 vs. 28/61, p=0.027) were recorded. Malnourished patients profit from nutrition support regarding nutrition status and quality of life. They have fewer complications, need fewer antibiotics and are less often re-hospitalised.