[Malnutrition in geriatric patients: risk factor residential nursing home?]

Malnutrition remains a challenging problem in hospitals, especially among geriatric patients. The background and causes are actually well known but still underestimated in clinical practice.

This study evaluated possible differences in rates of malnutrition risk and malnutrition in geriatric patients living at home and geriatric patients living in residential nursing homes. For this purpose, data from a total of 4 surveys (3 times nutritionDay plus 1 additional survey) were combined and evaluated. In this secondary analysis, 258 patients 65 years and older are included. Malnutrition risk is determined by the malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST) and malnutrition by the ESPEN criteria.

Of the patients 86.0% (n = 222) live at home and 14.0% (n = 36) in residential nursing homes. The patients living in nursing homes have a higher morbidity and need of care. Indicators for the increased morbidity are a larger number of nights spent in the clinic in the last 12 months (mdn 10.0 vs. 5; p 0.007), higher number of daily drug intake (mdn 9.0 vs. 7.0; p 0.002) and greater limitations in walking abilities (mdn 3.0 vs. 1.0; p < 0.001). They are significant older (median 86.0 vs. 78.0; p < 0.001) and show a higher percentage of manifest malnutrition (35.7%; n = 10 vs. 20.1%; n = 40; p 0.062).

Geriatric patients living at home and in residential nursing homes show high rates of malnutrition. A malnutrition screening at the beginning and during hospital stay is urgently required in every case as this is the only way to identify those affected. In addition, regular screening in outpatient departments as well as in nursing homes is also necessary.