Status of nutrition support services in selected hospitals in India

Nutritional support of hospitalized patients is a neglected aspect of clinical management despite the fact that hospital malnutrition leads to increased morbidity and mortality. There is a paucity of data regarding the status of nutrition support services (NSS) from India; hence, the present study was conducted in 50 hospitals attached to medical colleges all over the country. A semi-structured, pre-tested questionnaire was utilized to collect data regarding the status of NSS in these hospitals. The results of the study revealed that only 64% of the hospitals had a dietetics department. About 18% did not have any dietician. The dietician-to-patient ratio was very low--0.28 dieticians available per 100 hospital indoor beds. The majority (82%) of the hospitals were providing hospital food to indoor patients. The average cost of 4 meals per day was Rs 22 per patient. It was seen that only 46% of the hospitals were not providing hospital-based special feeds to the patients. The findings of our study indicated that the NSS are inadequate even in tertiary care hospitals and there is a need to strengthen the services for the holistic management of patients.