ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL RISKS IN HOSPITALISED PATIENTS

Otkrivanje pothranjenosti u bolesnika važan je zadatak jer pothranjenost utječe na morbiditet, mortalitet, dužinu hospitalizacije i troškove liječenja. Cilj rada bio je jednostavnim i brzim testom otkriti koliko se hospitaliziranih bolesnika nalazi u nutritivnom riziku. Ispitana su 843 bolesnika hospitalizirana na Klinici za internu medicinu lokaliteta Rijeke od 1. studenoga 2001. do 1. listopada 2003. Za procjenu nutritivnog rizika koristili smo Nottingham Screening Tool (NST) koji boduje indeks tjelesne mase (engl. body mass index – BMI), gubitak težine u zadnja tri mjeseca, uzimanje hrane mjesec dana prije hospitalizacije i težinu osnovne bolesti. Od ukupnog broja ispitanika, 48% se nije nalazilo u nutritivnom riziku, 27% je zahtijevalo praćenje i reevaluaciju, a 25% nutritivnu potporu. U skupini bolesnika s malignom bolešću, čak se 75% bolesnika nalazilo u nutritivnom riziku, što je statistički značajno češće (p<0, 001) u odnosu prema skupini nemalignih bolesnika. Dobiveni rezultati nalažu evaluaciju nutritivnog statusa pri prijemu u bolnicu jer adekvatnim tretmanom pothranjenosti možemo utjecati na tok i troškove liječenja.Revealing nutrition status in patients is an important task because malnutrition influences morbidity, mortality, the length of hospital stay and costs. The aim of the study was to find out how many hospitalised patients are at a nutritional risk, with a fast and simple test. We examined patients hospitalised at the Internal Clinic of the Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka in the period from November 1st 2001 till October 1st 2003. To assess the nutritional risk we used the Nottingham Screening Tool (NST) which scores body mass index (BMI), recent body weight loss, food intake before the hospitalisation and the severity of illness. We examined 843 patients. Only 48% were not at nutritional risk, 27% demanded monitoring and re-evaluation, and 25% were referred to dietetic advice. Of those 23% with malignancies, 75% were at nutritional risk. In comparison with non-malignant patients, the result was statistically significant (p<0,001). There is a significant malnutrition risk in hospitalised patients, especially in malignant ones. NST is a fast and efficient test for assessing the malnutrition risk. Malnutrition has to be evaluated and treated with nutrition support measure

ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL RISKS IN HOSPITALISED PATIENTS

Otkrivanje pothranjenosti u bolesnika važan je zadatak jer pothranjenost utječe na morbiditet, mortalitet, dužinu hospitalizacije i troškove liječenja. Cilj rada bio je jednostavnim i brzim testom otkriti koliko se hospitaliziranih bolesnika nalazi u nutritivnom riziku. Ispitana su 843 bolesnika hospitalizirana na Klinici za internu medicinu lokaliteta Rijeke od 1. studenoga 2001. do 1. listopada 2003. Za procjenu nutritivnog rizika koristili smo Nottingham Screening Tool (NST) koji boduje indeks tjelesne mase (engl. body mass index – BMI), gubitak težine u zadnja tri mjeseca, uzimanje hrane mjesec dana prije hospitalizacije i težinu osnovne bolesti. Od ukupnog broja ispitanika, 48% se nije nalazilo u nutritivnom riziku, 27% je zahtijevalo praćenje i reevaluaciju, a 25% nutritivnu potporu. U skupini bolesnika s malignom bolešću, čak se 75% bolesnika nalazilo u nutritivnom riziku, što je statistički značajno češće (p<0, 001) u odnosu prema skupini nemalignih bolesnika. Dobiveni rezultati nalažu evaluaciju nutritivnog statusa pri prijemu u bolnicu jer adekvatnim tretmanom pothranjenosti možemo utjecati na tok i troškove liječenja.Revealing nutrition status in patients is an important task because malnutrition influences morbidity, mortality, the length of hospital stay and costs. The aim of the study was to find out how many hospitalised patients are at a nutritional risk, with a fast and simple test. We examined patients hospitalised at the Internal Clinic of the Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka in the period from November 1st 2001 till October 1st 2003. To assess the nutritional risk we used the Nottingham Screening Tool (NST) which scores body mass index (BMI), recent body weight loss, food intake before the hospitalisation and the severity of illness. We examined 843 patients. Only 48% were not at nutritional risk, 27% demanded monitoring and re-evaluation, and 25% were referred to dietetic advice. Of those 23% with malignancies, 75% were at nutritional risk. In comparison with non-malignant patients, the result was statistically significant (p<0,001). There is a significant malnutrition risk in hospitalised patients, especially in malignant ones. NST is a fast and efficient test for assessing the malnutrition risk. Malnutrition has to be evaluated and treated with nutrition support measure

Nutritional Risk Screening in Hospitalized and Haemodialysis Patients

Malnutrition is an independent risk factor impacting on higher complications and increased length of hospital stay and costs. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of nutritional risk among patients on regular haemodialysis (HD) (Group I, N=105) and among the patients at Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology (Group II, N=652). Cross-sectional nutritional evaluation was done using Nottingham Hospital Screening Tool (NS). The prevalence of nutritional risk was 9% in Group I and 21% in Group II (p=0.0002). We found statistically significant larger quantity of malnourished patients among acute internistic patients than among chronic from the same Group II. Malnutrition among patients on HD didn’t differ statistically to chronic internistic patients. We didn’t found a significantly higher percentage of nutritional risk among elderly patients (65 years and more). Correlation between body mass index (BMI) and NS was significant, but weak (r=–0.32). We can conclude that the prevalence of nutritional risk among HD patients was lower than we had expected. It seems that the screening tool we used is not sensitive enough for HD patients and needs further investigations