Techniques for Nutritional Evaluation of Hospitalized Older Adult Patients

The ageing patients’ quality of life in hospital healthcare departments is impacted by nutritional assessment. Aging’s symptomatology includes physiological changes that are associated with a higher risk of malnutrition and its consequences (Wu et al., 2021). For this reason, a thorough evaluation is required to provide patients the best treatment possible. The most effective strategy to get all the facts required about the diet of the patient seems to be to figure out the most dependable method for doing so. We need to take a multidimensional strategy in this case, using many evaluation kinds.

Anthropometric measures: Holmes and Racette (2021) affirm that anthropometric measures are still essential for evaluating nutrition because they provide important information about how the body changes with age and nutritional inadequacies. Quantitative information on nutritional status is provided by parameters including height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference. This information may be used to identify obesity-related problems or malnutrition.

Biochemical Analysis: Biochemical markers are objective measures of metabolic and nutritional health. Serum albumin, prealbumin, transferrin, and total lymphocyte count are measured by blood tests that aid in determining the status of proteins; serum electrolytes and vitamins indicate the general nutritional sufficiency of the diet (Chan, 2021, p.312). Furthermore, indicators like C-reactive protein (CRP) can identify inflammation, which is often seen in hospitalized elderly patients and may affect the interpretation of nutritional assessments.

Dietary Assessment: Analyzing dietary intake offers important insights into the consumption of nutrients and dietary habits. Saravia et al. (2022) suggest that techniques including meal frequency surveys, food diaries, and 24-hour dietary recalls provide information on eating patterns, preferences, and possible obstacles to a healthy diet. To guarantee accuracy, nutritional assessment approaches may need to be modified for older persons due to issues including dental abnormalities, swallowing challenges, and cognitive impairments (Speyer et al., 2022, p. 333).

Clinical Examination: To detect indicators of malnutrition and evaluate functional status, a thorough physical examination is part of the clinical evaluation process. Assessing muscle mass, skin integrity, edema presence, and oral health might offer important clinical hints about dietary excesses or deficiencies (Kiani et al., 2022, p. E93). Furthermore, evaluating functional status—that is, mobility and activities of daily living—helps to clarify how diet affects general health and wellbeing.

Nutritional Screening Tools: according to Kokkinakis et al. 2021, reliable methods for detecting patients who are at risk of malnutrition upon admission include the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). These techniques enable early identification and intervention in hospitalized older persons by including many indicators such as BMI, unintended weight loss, and nutritional consumption.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Dietitians, doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals must collaborate interdisciplinary to provide older adult patients with an effective nutritional evaluation (Yinusa et al., 2021). A comprehensive approach to patient care that includes nutritional evaluation, management, and monitoring throughout and after hospitalization may be accomplished with concerted efforts.

In summary, a comprehensive strategy for nutritional evaluation is essential for maximizing treatment for hospitalized older adult patients. Health care practitioners may get a thorough picture of a patient’s nutritional state and adjust therapies by combining anthropometric measures, biochemical analysis, dietary evaluation, clinical examination, and approved screening methods. The dietary requirements of hospitalized older persons may be efficiently addressed, leading to improved outcomes and a higher quality of life, via multidisciplinary teamwork and continuous monitoring.

References

Chan, W., 2021. Chronic kidney disease and nutrition support. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 36(2), pp.312-330. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ncp.10658 (Accessed: 16 March 2024).

Holmes, C.J. and Racette, S.B., 2021. The utility of body composition assessment in nutrition and clinical practice: an overview of current methodology. Nutrients, 13(8), p.2493. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082493 (Accessed: 16 March 2024).

Kiani, A.K., Dhuli, K., Donato, K., Aquilanti, B., Velluti, V., Matera, G., Iaconelli, A., Connelly, S.T., Bellinato, F., Gisondi, P. and Bertelli, M., 2022. Main nutritional deficiencies. Journal of preventive medicine and hygiene, 63(2 Suppl 3), p.E93. Available at: https://doi.org/10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2022.63.2s3.2752 (Accessed: 16 March 2024).

Kokkinakis, S., Venianaki, M., Petra, G., Chrysos, A., Chrysos, E. and Lasithiotakis, K., 2021. A comparison of the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) and the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) tool for older patients undergoing general surgery. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(24), p.5860. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jcm10245860 (Accessed: 16 March 2024).

Saravia, L., Moliterno, P., Skapino, E. and Moreno, L.A., 2022. Food Diary, Food Frequency Questionnaire, and 24-Hour Dietary Recall. In Basic Protocols in Foods and Nutrition (pp. 223-247). New York, NY: Springer US. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2345-9_15 (Accessed: 16 March 2024).

Speyer, R., Cordier, R., Farneti, D., Nascimento, W., Pilz, W., Verin, E., Walshe, M. and Woisard, V., 2022. White paper by the European society for Swallowing Disorders: Screening and non-instrumental assessment for dysphagia in adults. Dysphagia, 37(2), pp.333-349. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-021-10283-7 (Accessed: 16 March 2024).

Wu, X., Hou, G., Han, P., Yu, X., Chen, X., Song, P., Zhang, Y., Zhao, Y., Xie, F., Niu, S. and Hu, H., 2021. Association between physical performance and cognitive function in Chinese community-dwelling older adults: Serial mediation of malnutrition and depression. Clinical interventions in aging, pp.1327-1335. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2147/cia.s315892 (Accessed: 16 March 2024).

Yinusa, G., Scammell, J., Murphy, J., Ford, G. and Baron, S., 2021. Multidisciplinary provision of food and nutritional care to hospitalized adult in-patients: a scoping review. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, pp.459-491. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S255256 (Accessed: 16 March 2024).