Individualized nutritional treatment during acute hospitalization and after discharge may be associated with lower mortality in older adults, according to research published online Nov. 18 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Ilana Feldblum, R.D., Ph.D., of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel, and colleagues analyzed data from 259 hospitalized adults, aged 65 and older, who were at nutritional risk. The participants were randomized to receive dietitian-led individualized nutritional treatment in the hospital and three home visits after discharge, or to a combined control group, featuring either standard care or one meeting with a dietitian while in the hospital.The researchers found that mortality was significantly lower in the intervention group than the control group (3.8 versus 11.6 percent; P = .046). After six months, the intervention group had a significantly higher rise in Mini Nutritional Assessment score than the control group (3.01 versus 1.81).
"The study suggests that an individualized model of nutritional treatment during and after acute hospitalization in older adults is beneficial," the authors write. "The prevalence of undernutrition in geriatric populations is high in hospitals and in the community, and in many cases, there is not a routine screening program for risk of malnutrition. Therefore, those at risk of malnutrition are often not recognized and not treated, and as a result, malnourished patients receive nutritional support at a late stage."
Source:Modern Medicine
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