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Pre-operative nutritional assessment in the elderly.
1Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, St. Vincent's Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4, Ireland. tc@clubi.ie
The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging
|March 16, 2001
Summary
Elderly surgical patients often experience nutritional depletion, leading to poor health outcomes and increased healthcare costs. Early nutritional screening and assessment are crucial for timely intervention and improved recovery.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Medicine
- Surgical Nutrition
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Nutritional depletion is common in hospitalized adult surgical patients.
- Nutritional status often worsens during hospital stays, especially in the elderly.
- Undernutrition in elderly patients has significant health and economic consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current nutritional screening and assessment techniques.
- To evaluate the applicability of these techniques to elderly surgical patients.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing screening and assessment methods.
- Analysis of the suitability of these methods for the elderly surgical population.
Main Results:
- Nutritional depletion is often unrecognized and untreated due to its insidious nature.
- Screening and assessment are vital components of care for elderly surgical patients.
Conclusions:
- Implementing nutritional screening and assessment is essential for elderly surgical patients.
- These interventions can mitigate negative health impacts and reduce healthcare costs.