title: Randomized clinical trial of nutritional counseling for malnourished hospital patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Malnutrition is associated with an increased risk of mortality and morbidity, longer hospital stays and general loss of quality of life. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of dietary counseling for malnourished hospital patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, randomized, open-label study of 106 hospital patients with malnutrition (54 in the control group and 52 in the intervention group). The intervention group received dietary counseling, and the control group underwent standard treatment. We determined the patients' nutritional state (body mass index, laboratory parameters, malnutrition universal screening tool), degree of dependence (Barthel index), quality of life (SF-12), degree of satisfaction (CSQ-8), the number and length of readmissions and mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients who underwent the "intervention" increased their weight at 6 months, while the controls lost weight (difference in body mass index, 2.14kg/m(2); p<.001). The intervention group had better results when compared with the control group in the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool scores (difference, -1.29; p<.001), Barthel index (difference, 7.49; p=.025), SF-12 (difference, 13.72; p<.001) and CSQ-8 (difference, 4.34, p<.001) and required fewer readmissions (difference, -0.37; p=.04) and shorter stays for readmissions (difference, -6.75; p=.035). Mortality and laboratory parameters were similar for the 2 groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nutritional counseling improved the patients' nutritional state, quality of life and degree of dependence and decreased the number of hospital readmissions.
authors: Departamento de Fisiología, Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Facultad de Ciencias del Deporte, Universidad de Granada, Granada, España. Electronic address: casalsvazquez@gmail.com.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Casals
authors: Departamento de Farmacología y Pediatría, Cátedra de Economía de la Salud y Uso Racional del Medicamento, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, España.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: García-Agua-Soler
authors: Centro de Salud San Andrés Torcal, Distrito Sanitario Málaga-Guadalhorce, Málaga, España.
authors: M Á
authors: MÁ
authors: Vázquez-Sánchez
authors: Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga, España.
authors: M V
authors: MV
authors: Requena-Toro
authors: Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga, España.
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Padilla-Romero
authors: Sección de Reumatología, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga, España.
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Casals-Sánchez
keywords: Actividades cotidianas; Body weight; Calidad de vida; Consejo dirigido; Cuidado a largo plazo; Daily activities; Desnutrición; Diet; Dieta; Enfermería en salud comunitaria; Long-term care; Malnutrition; Mortalidad; Mortality; Patient readmission; Peso corporal; Public health nursing; Quality of life; Readmisión del paciente; Targeted counseling