TORNA ALL’ELENCO

Nutritional care needs in long-term care elderly residents in Clinical Nutrition

2014
ASL Asti
ASL Città di Torino

Tipo pubblicazione

Conference Abstract

Autori/Collaboratori (9)Vedi tutti...

Malfi G
Ospedale Santa Croce di Cuneo, Cuneo, Italy
Avagnina P
Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria San Luigi Gonzaga, Torino, Italy
Cereda E
Nutrition and Dietetics Service, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy

et alii...

Abstract

Rationale: Although data on prevalence of nutritional derangements by systematic screening procedures are consistent, there is little information on which the real needs of nutritional intervention are. Methods: Across-sectional analysis of baseline data (collected between September 2011 and September 2013) in the context of a multicentric prospective cohort study involving 19 long-term cares and 1394 resident elderly (age >60 years). The endpoints were the prevalence of nutritional derangements and of nutritional care needs as for active intervention on the residents. Results: Prevalence of malnutrition and risk of malnutrition were 35.2% [95%CI, 32.8-37.8] and 52.6% [95%CI, 50.0-55.2], respectively. Malnutrition was more frequent upon admission and in larger institutions (<50 beds). Overall, the need of any-type nutritional interventions involved 35% of the patients. It was necessary to implement the oral diet and to introduce the use of fluid thickeners and oral nutritional supplements in 306 (22%), 201 (14%) and 175 (13%) residents, respectively. The need to implement the oral diet was mainly due to inadequacy of texture according to chewing and swallowing capabilities. In gender and age-adjusted multivariable logistic regression models, nutrition interventions were associated with worse nutritional status. Moreover, while the duration of stay was unrelated to the need of nutritional interventions, we observed that residents living in larger long-term cares (<50 beds) were more likely to require an improvement of nutrition care. Conclusion: In long-term care elderly residents nutritional derangements are very common, underdiagnosed and under-treated. Nutritional screening should be part of routine care. However, also the systematic involvement of a nutrition care specialist appears to be a urgent need, particularly in larger institutions where the standards of care are likely to be lower.

Keywords

risk; patient; nutritional status; medical specialist; non implantable urine incontinence electrical stimulator; model; liquid; gender; mastication; swallowing; logistic regression analysis; cohort analysis; screening; diet; malnutrition; prevalence; long term care; metabolism; nutrition; society; European; human; aged;