Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 13, 2025
A Clinical Trial Assessing the Safety, Efficacy, and Delivery of Olive-Oil-Based Three-Chamber Bags for Parenteral Nutrition
Published on: September 20, 2019
Individual nutritional intervention for prevention of readmission among geriatric patients-a randomized controlled
Mai Østerø Cramon1,2, Ines Raben3,4, Anne Marie Beck5,6
1Department of Medicine, Zealand University Hospital, Lykkebækvej 1, 4600, Køge, Denmark. mai.cramon@hotmail.com.
Background:
Approximately 20% of older people are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. Even a short hospital stay decreases the ability to cope with the activities of daily living. The aims of this study were to (1) assess the feasibility of recruitment, (2) assess the acceptability of the intervention, and (3) investigate if an individual nutritional intervention could reduce the readmission rate of geriatric patients within 30 days of being discharged to their own homes.
Methods:
The unblinded, randomized, controlled pilot trial includes geriatric patients discharged to their own homes. Forty patients were recruited from a medical ward and randomized to standard treatment (n = 19) or individualized nutritional intervention (n = 21). The intervention was dietary counseling and a nutrition plan before discharge, combined with two home visits performed by an educated nutritionist over a period of 4 weeks. Outcomes were readmission (primary), mortality, protein and energy intake, body weight, activity of daily living, handgrip strength, number of chair stands, and quality of life. Intention-to-treat analysis, per-protocol analysis, and post hoc analysis of readmissions were carried out.
Results:
Recruitment was feasible, and there was high compliance to the intervention. There was no difference in readmission between the intervention group and control group 30 days after discharge (29% vs 11%). The individual nutritional intervention had a positive impact on achieving 75% of energy requirements at 30 days for the intervention group compared to the control group (93% vs 47%, p = 0.01). No other differences were found between the groups.
Conclusion:
The individual nutritional intervention did not prevent readmission among geriatric patients in this trial. Recruitment procedures functioned well, and the intervention was well accepted by the patients.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrial.gov, NCT03519139 . Retrospectively registered on 8 May 2018.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients
01:30Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Diagnostic Studies and Management I-Nutritional Therapy
Diagnostic studies
A colonoscopy is the definitive screening test, distinguishing ulcerative colitis from other colon diseases with similar symptoms. During a colonoscopy test, inflamed mucosa with exudate ulcerations can be observed, and biopsies are taken to determine the histologic characteristics of the...
01:27Urinary Tract Calculi IV: Nutrition Therapy and Prevention
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
01:22Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption
01:28Chronic Kidney Disease III: Interprofessional Care