Prevalence of undernutrition at admission to the internal medicine unit
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Ortiz Expósito L. Prevalencia de desnutrición al ingreso en el servicio de medicina interna. Metas Enferm 2013; 16(2):50-55.
Authors
Luisa Ortiz Expósito
Position
Enfermera. Corporación de Salud del Maresme y la Selva (Blanes).
Contact address
C/ Girona 30-32, 2º, 4ª. 08389 Palafolls (Barcelona).
Contact email: llortiz@salutms.cat
Abstract
Purpose: Determine the prevalence of patient undernourishment at their admission to an internal medicine unit at a first-level hospital, as well as examining the characteristics of undernourished patients.
Material and method: Descriptive cross-sectional study in patients admitted (five-day stay or longer) to an internal medicine unit at a first-level district acute-care hospital. The sample was selected consecutively.
Variables studied: gender, age, main diagnosis at admission, length of stay, body mass index (BMI), type of diet prescribed at admission, condition of oral mucous lining, patient’s autonomy for eating, mobility during the stay and presence of pressure ulcers. To define the degree of undernourishment, the CONUT (nutrition check) tool, which assesses the parameters of albumin, cholesterol and total lymphocytes was used.
Results: This study included 197 patients. A total of 18.3% showed a normal nutritional condition, 36.5% slight undernutrition, 33.5% moderate undernutrition and 11.7% serious undernutrition. A total of 53.8% has chronic disorders diagnosed at admission. The patients suffering from undernutrition showed significantly lower albumin, total cholesterol and lymphocyte levels. Solely 10.3% of the patients with a BMI of 18.5-25 had a normal degree of nutrition, 23.2% having a BMI of 25.1-29.9 and 20% with a BMI of 30 or above.
Conclusion: This study reflects a high prevalence of undernutrition. The biochemical assays of the CONUT method determine a better detection of undernutrition than the BMI. When setting out a plan for action, it is important to coordinate a good post-release follow-up.
Material and method: Descriptive cross-sectional study in patients admitted (five-day stay or longer) to an internal medicine unit at a first-level district acute-care hospital. The sample was selected consecutively.
Variables studied: gender, age, main diagnosis at admission, length of stay, body mass index (BMI), type of diet prescribed at admission, condition of oral mucous lining, patient’s autonomy for eating, mobility during the stay and presence of pressure ulcers. To define the degree of undernourishment, the CONUT (nutrition check) tool, which assesses the parameters of albumin, cholesterol and total lymphocytes was used.
Results: This study included 197 patients. A total of 18.3% showed a normal nutritional condition, 36.5% slight undernutrition, 33.5% moderate undernutrition and 11.7% serious undernutrition. A total of 53.8% has chronic disorders diagnosed at admission. The patients suffering from undernutrition showed significantly lower albumin, total cholesterol and lymphocyte levels. Solely 10.3% of the patients with a BMI of 18.5-25 had a normal degree of nutrition, 23.2% having a BMI of 25.1-29.9 and 20% with a BMI of 30 or above.
Conclusion: This study reflects a high prevalence of undernutrition. The biochemical assays of the CONUT method determine a better detection of undernutrition than the BMI. When setting out a plan for action, it is important to coordinate a good post-release follow-up.
Keywords:
body mass index (BMI) research; CONUT; descriptive cross-sectional study; hospitalization; internal medicineundernutrition
Versión en Español
Título:
Prevalencia de desnutrición al ingreso en el servicio de medicina interna
