Nutritional risk of hospitalized patients in Turkey

Korfali G.; Gündoǧdu H.; Aydintuǧ S.; Bahar M.; Besler T.; Moral A.R.; Oǧuz M.; Sakarya M.; Uyar M.; Kiliçturgay S.

Nutritional risk of hospitalized patients in Turkey

Date

2009

Authors

Abstract

Background & aims: We conducted a multicentre study to assess nutritional risk at hospital admission, hospital-associated iatrogenic malnutrition and the status of nutritional support in Turkish hospitals. Methods: A database which allowed for online submission of hospital and patient data was developed. A nutritional risk screening system (NRS-2002) was applied to all patients and repeated weekly in patients with hospital stays greater than one week and no invasive procedures. Patient-specific nutritional support was recorded during the study period. Results: Thirty-four hospitals from 19 cities contributed data from 29,139 patients. On admission, 15% of patients had nutritional risk. Nutritional risk was common (52%) in intensive care unit patients and lowest (3.9%) in otorhinolaryngology patients. Only 51.8% of patients with nutritional risk received nutritional support. Nutritional risk was present in 6.25% of patients at the end of the first week and 5.2% at the end of the second week, independent of nutritional support. In patients with nutritional risk on admission who were hospitalized for two weeks and received nutritional support, the NRS-2002 score remained ≥3 in 83% of cases. Conclusions: Nutritional risk is common in hospitalized Turkish patients. While patients at nutritional risk often do not receive nutritional support when hospitalized, nutritional risk occurs independent of nutritional support. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism.