Evaluation of nutritional support in a regional hospital

Abstract Introduction Disease-related malnutrition (DRM) is highly prevalent in Spanish hospitals (occurring in one out of every four patients). The ‘Mas Nutridos’ Alliance has developed an action plan to detect and treat DRM. In Extremadura (Spain), the public health system has included nutritional screening as the only mechanism to fight malnutrition. The results of this strategy are evaluated here. Patients and methods An agreement study was conducted in standard clinical practice. Variables collected included the following rates: nutritional screening at entry, coded nutritional diagnoses, nutritional status assessment, nutritional requirements, successful nutritional therapy, weight and height at entry and discharge, referral to a nutritional support unit (NSU). Standards to comparison based on the results of the Netherland Program to Fight Malnutrition. Results Nutritional screening rate at entry was 20.5% (95% CI: 18.00–21.00). Coding and nutritional status assessment rate at entry was 13%. Weight and height were both measured in 16.5% of patients at entry and 20% at discharge. Nutritional requirements were estimated in 30% and were poorly monitored (13.3%). Only 15% of patients were referred to an NSU. Significantly lower values were found for all indicators as compared to standards, with kappa values lower than 0.2 in all cases. Data analysis showed poorer results when patients referred to the NSU were excluded. Conclusions A strategy to fight malnutrition based on nutritional screening alone is highly inefficient in hospitals such as HVP.