Nursing home staff delivery of oral liquid nutritional supplements to residents at risk for unintentional weight loss.
OBJECTIVE
To describe nursing home (NH) staff delivery of oral liquid nutritional supplements to residents with an order to receive supplementation.


METHODS
Descriptive.


METHODS
Six skilled NHs.


METHODS
One hundred thirty-two long-stay residents.


METHODS
Research staff conducted direct observations for 2 days during and between meals and documented NH staff delivery of supplements, amount consumed (fluid ounces), and amount of assistance (minutes) provided by staff to encourage consumption.


RESULTS
Eighty-eight percent had an order to receive a supplement one to three times daily (mode = 3); 12% had an order to receive a supplement four to six times daily. Fewer than 10% received the supplement consistent with their orders during the 2 observation days. On average, NH staff provided a supplement less than once per participant per day during or between meals. When a supplement was provided, residents consumed an average+/-standard deviation of 4.91+/-2.19 fluid ounces during meals with 6.16+/-7.46 minutes of staff assistance and 3.98+/-2.60 fluid ounces between meals with less than 1 minute of staff assistance. Participants with orders that specified time of delivery received the supplement at a significantly higher frequency between meals.


CONCLUSIONS
Oral liquid nutritional supplements are not provided consistent with orders in NH practice. Staff spends little time promoting supplement consumption during or between meals. The specificity of the order related to time of delivery may influence when and how often supplements are provided to residents.
Simmons
Sandra F
SF
Department of Geriatrics, Borun Center for Gerontological Research, School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA. ssimmons@ucla.edu
Patel
Ashish V
AV
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009740:Nursing Staff; D044623:Nutrition Therapy / Q000451:nursing*; D019999:Pharmaceutical Solutions; D012866:Skilled Nursing Facilities; D015431:Weight Loss
D019999:Pharmaceutical Solutions