Nutritional risk of hospitalized patients in Turkey.
OBJECTIVE
We conducted a multicentre study to assess nutritional risk at hospital admission, hospital-associated iatrogenic malnutrition and the status of nutritional support in Turkish hospitals.


METHODS
A database which allowed for online submission of hospital and patient data was developed. A nutritional risk screening system (NRS-2002) was applied to all patients and repeated weekly in patients with hospital stays greater than one week and no invasive procedures. Patient-specific nutritional support was recorded during the study period.


RESULTS
Thirty-four hospitals from 19 cities contributed data from 29,139 patients. On admission, 15% of patients had nutritional risk. Nutritional risk was common (52%) in intensive care unit patients and lowest (3.9%) in otorhinolaryngology patients. Only 51.8% of patients with nutritional risk received nutritional support. Nutritional risk was present in 6.25% of patients at the end of the first week and 5.2% at the end of the second week, independent of nutritional support. In patients with nutritional risk on admission who were hospitalized for two weeks and received nutritional support, the NRS-2002 score remained > or =3 in 83% of cases.


CONCLUSIONS
Nutritional risk is common in hospitalized Turkish patients. While patients at nutritional risk often do not receive nutritional support when hospitalized, nutritional risk occurs independent of nutritional support.
Korfali
Gülsen
G
Department of Anaesthesiology, University of Uludag, Bursa, Turkey. sen@uludag.edu.tr
Gündoğdu
Haldun
H
Aydintuğ
Semih
S
Bahar
Mois
M
Besler
Tanju
T
Moral
Ali Reşat
AR
Oğuz
Mehmet
M
Sakarya
Melek
M
Uyar
Mehmet
M
Kiliçturgay
Sadik
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D018529:Nutritional Support; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult