Does the mini nutritional assessment predict hospitalization outcomes in older people?
BACKGROUND
the Mini Nutritional Assessment is a validated clinical tool for the assessment of nutritional status in older people. Moderate to severe malnutrition is common in elderly patients in hospital and is associated with a poor outcome.


OBJECTIVE
to determine whether the Mini Nutritional Assessment can predict the outcome of hospital stay in older individuals.


METHODS
a tertiary-care geriatric hospital.


METHODS
we evaluated nutritional status using the Mini Nutritional Assessment in 1319 patients (mean age 84.2, 70% women) admitted between February 1996 and January 1998; 1145 complete assessments were available for analysis. The assessment was carried out on admission and studied in relation to length of stay and in-hospital mortality for all patients, and discharge to a nursing home for those living at home before admission.


RESULTS
Mini Nutritional Assessment scores averaged 19.9+/-3.8 (mean+/-SD) with a range of 8.0-27.5, and a median of 20.5. A score below 17, corresponding to malnutrition, was associated with an almost threefold increase in mortality and in the rate of discharge to a nursing home; this contrasted with a score above 24, which indicates satisfactory nutritional status (11.3% vs 3.7%; P<0.01 and 20.3% vs 7.7%; P<0.001, respectively). Length of stay was longer in the low scoring group (42.0 days vs 30.5 days; P<0.0002).


CONCLUSIONS
Poor nutritional status as measured by the Mini Nutritional Assessment was associated with increased in-hospital mortality, a higher rate of discharge to nursing homes and a longer length of stay.
Van Nes
M C
MC
Department of Geriatric Medicine, University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
Herrmann
F R
FR
Gold
G
G
Michel
J P
JP
Rizzoli
R
R
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000502:physiology*; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data