title: Health System Quality Improvement: Impact of Prompt Nutrition Care on Patient Outcomes and Health Care Costs.
abstract: Among hospitalized patients, malnutrition is prevalent yet often overlooked and undertreated. We implemented a quality improvement program that positioned early nutritional care into the nursing workflow. Nurses screened for malnutrition risk at patient admission and then immediately ordered oral nutritional supplements for those at risk. Supplements were given as regular medications, guided and monitored by medication administration records. Post-quality improvement program, pressure ulcer incidence, length of stay, 30-day readmissions, and costs of care were reduced.
authors.affiliation: NICHE Program (Ms Meehan) and Food & Nutrition Department (Ms Loose), Cleveland Clinic-Akron General, Akron, Ohio; and Health Economics and Outcomes Research (Ms Bell and Drs Partridge and Goates) and Nutrition Science (Dr Nelson), Abbott Nutrition Research and Development, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meehan
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Loose
authors.forename: Jvawnna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Partridge
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goates
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018529:Nutritional Support / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D058996:Quality Improvement