Nutritional risk and health care use before and after an acute hospitalization among the elderly
Autor: | Roni Enten, Avner Shahar, Dan Greenberg, Ilana Harman, Danit R. Shahar, Ilana Feldblum, Hanna Castel, Larissa German, Natalya Bilenko |
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Rok vydání: | 2009 |
Předmět: |
Male
medicine.medical_specialty Endocrinology Diabetes and Metabolism MEDLINE Risk Assessment Health care medicine Humans Risk factor Intensive care medicine Nutritional risk Depression (differential diagnoses) Aged Aged 80 and over Nutrition and Dietetics Depression business.industry Incidence Incidence (epidemiology) Nutrition Disorders Hospitalization Nutrition Assessment Socioeconomic Factors Emergency medicine Female business Risk assessment Delivery of Health Care |
Zdroj: | Nutrition. 25:415-420 |
ISSN: | 0899-9007 |
Popis: | Objective Our objective was to assess the nutritional status and health care use of community-dwelling elderly before hospitalization and determine risk factors for longer hospitalizations during 3 mo of follow-up. Methods During a 1-y period, we recruited patients 65 y and older admitted to an internal medicine ward at Soroka Medical Center (Beer-Sheva, Israel). Data were obtained regarding health and nutritional status and demographic and social characteristics. We assessed the utilization of health care services during a follow-up period of 3 mo. Results Seventy-nine of 204 patients (38.7%) were at nutritional risk. Patients at nutritional risk were older ( P P = 0.03) than the well-nourished group. Nutritional risk was associated with more diagnosed diseases, days of hospital stay, and physician visits before admission. Participants hospitalized for more than 6 d were significantly less educated, with lower cognitive, functional, Mini Nutritional Assessment, and Nutritional Risk Index scores and a significantly higher depressive symptoms score. Functional status and sum of nutritional problems were significant predictors of length of hospitalization in the following 3 mo. Conclusion Nutritional risk is a source of concern for health care providers and services, because it significantly increases risk of hospital admission and length of stay. It is important to increase the awareness of primary care providers to the impact of nutrition on health care use and provide appropriate tools to screen and treat nutritional problems. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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