title: Nutritional risk of hospitalized patients in Turkey.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, University of Uludag, Bursa, Turkey. sen@uludag.edu.tr
authors.forename: Gülsen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Korfali
authors.forename: Haldun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gündoğdu
authors.forename: Semih
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aydintuğ
authors.forename: Mois
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bahar
authors.forename: Tanju
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Besler
authors.forename: Ali Reşat
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Moral
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oğuz
authors.forename: Melek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakarya
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uyar
authors.forename: Sadik
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kiliçturgay
mesh_terms: 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