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Published on: April 28, 2016
[Malnutrition in hospitalized patients: prevalence and economic impact]
Antonio Pérez de la Cruz1, Gabriela Lobo Támer, Rosa Orduña Espinosa
1Unidad de Nutrición Clínica y Dietética, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain. antonioj.perez.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es
Background And Objective:
Malnutrition constitutes a serious problem of public health. We intended to know the prevalence of undernourishment in our hospital, as well as to assess the expenses generated by its presence.
Patients And Method:
A study of cohorts was designed to evaluate the nutritional state of randomly selected patients admitted to a third level hospital. We carried out a protocol of nutritional evaluation and quantified the associated costs including drugs, diet, and hospital stay according to diagnosis-related groups.
Results:
In agreement with anthropometry and the index of corporal mass, the prevalence of malnutrition was 0.3% and 13.4%, respectively. When analyzing the biochemical markers, the prevalence rose to 65.7%. Patients with malnutrition at the time of admission underwent a 59.9% deterioration of their nutritional state. An increase of costs was observed in relation to the length of hospital stay (68.04% compared with normo-nourished patients). Costs related to consumption of medicines, especially antibiotics, were also higher, as well as costs related to nutritional support.
Conclusions:
Malnutrition is a phenomenon frequently observed in a hospital setting. Malnutrition associated costs are significant.
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