Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Tuesday, October 18Poster Session: Professional Skills; Nutrition Assessment; Medical Nutrition TherapyPrevalence of Adult Hospital Malnutrition According to SNAQ Screening Tool
Section snippets
Learning Outcome
The participants will be able to describe prevalence of malnutrition at admission to a South American hospital.
Background
Hospital malnutrition is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stay (LOS) and costs. However, these facts are often not recognized. Nutritional screening tools are designed to early identify individuals at risk for hospital malnutrition and to intervene accordingly. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of malnutrition upon hospital admission using the Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire (SNAQ).
Methods
All adult patients admitted to Hospital Universitario Sede Saavedra CEMIC, between April and August 2015 were included. Nutritional risk was determined by dietitians using the SNAQ within 24-48 hours of admission. Exclusion criteria were: LOS <48 hours, pregnancy or puerperium and altered patient consciousness.
Results
519 patients were included, 283 males (54.5%) aged 64 ±16.9 years old; 10.2 and 26.8% of patients had moderate (SNAQ =2) and severe (SNAQ ≥3) malnutrition, respectively. Older age was a predictor of greater SNAQ score on linear regression (p<0.007). Prevalence of malnutrition in patients with cancer was higher than in those who did not have cancer (20.6% vs. 14.3%, p <0.001). The prevalence of malnutrition was 50.8 and 48.5% in the medical unit and the surgical unit, respectively; 16.8% of the
Conclusion
Similarly to national and international data, one out of three patients admitted to our hospital is malnourished. A multidisciplinary and timely approach is needed to prevent further nutritional decline during hospitalization and improve health outcomes.
Funding Disclosure
None