Article

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of a nutrition intervention program for
geriatric nutritional at-risk patients.
SETTING: Department of geriatric medicine in a university hospital and in the
primary healthcare sector, Copenhagen. SUBJECTS: Geriatric patients ( N = 144) at
nutritional risk. INTERVENTION: The intervention consisted of an individual
dietary plan for home, including pre-discharge advice on nutritional intake,
combined with three follow-up visits after discharge (one, four, and eight
weeks). MAIN MEASURES: Change in body weight, Barthel Index, hand-grip strength
and self-rated health from baseline (discharge) to three months after discharge,
readmission, and mortality (90 and 120 days). RESULTS: The mean (SD) age in total
sample was 87.2 (6.2) years. Sample size in the intervention group (IG) was N =
72, and in the control group (CG), N = 72. IG had a mean (SD) weight gain of 0.9
(4.2) kg compared to a weight loss of 0.8 (3.6) kg in the CG ( P = 0.032). In
addition, an improvement in self-rated health was seen in the IG compared to CG
(IG: 23 (47%) vs. CG: 12 (24%); P = 0.021). No significant difference between
groups was found in functional status, mortality, or readmission rates.
CONCLUSION: An individual dietary plan based on everyday food, combined with
three follow-up visits (one, four, and eight weeks) after discharge, led to an
improvement in nutritional status and self-rated health in geriatric patients.

Langue : ANGLAIS