ESPEN 2012 - Late breaking abstract submission

Topic: Late Breaking Abstract

Abs n°:ESPEN12-1933

Abs Title: IS EARLY NUTRITION IDENTIFICATION AFFECTED BY PRESENCE OF A CLINICAL DIETICIAN?

J. Lindegaard-Pedersen ^1,*M. Gregersen ¹E. M. Damsgaard ¹

¹Geriatric Department, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

Rationale: Danish National Quality Standards requires hospitals to identify patients at nutrition risk within 24 hours after admission. We examined if the presence of a clinical dietician in two geriatric wards increases the number of patients screened within 24 hours.

Methods: From May 1st to July 15^th 2011 a clinical dietician was available for the health professionals on daily basis to support, ensure, and control that patients in nutritional risk were identified. Patients’ records for this intervention period were compared with two periods without dietician intervention, a before-intervention period (January 1^st to April 30^th 2011) and an after-intervention period (July 15^th to September 30^th). Statistical analyses were performed by chi-squared test.

Results: 760 patients were included, 311 in the before-intervention period, 207 in the intervention period, and 242 in the after-intervention period. In the before-intervention period nutrition screening was performed in 80%, versus 86% during intervention, and 79% in the after-intervention period. 141 patients (45%) were nutrition screened within 24 hours after admission in the before-intervention period, versus 111 patients (54%) during intervention, but the increase is not significant (p=0.22). In the period after dietician intervention 118 patients (49%) were nutrition screened within 24 hours. This is not significant from the intervention period (p=0.15).

Conclusion: A clinical dietician as a member of the interdisciplinary team at a geriatric ward tends to increase the number of patients nutrition screened within 24 hours after admittance, but when the dietician is no longer present on daily basis the effect tends to decrease. The presence of a clinical dietician may contribute to increase the number of patients nutrition screened within 24 hours, but other initiatives are needed in order to increase and maintain early identification of nutrition problems.

Disclosure of Interest: J. Lindegaard-Pedersen Grant/Research Support from: Helsefonden, DenmarkM. Gregersen Grant/Research Support from: Helsefonden, DenmarkE. M. Damsgaard Grant/Research Support from: Helsefonden, Denmark

Keywords: nutrition screening acute care hospital