To investigate the effects of an individualized nutritional intervention programs (iNIPs) on nutritional status and readmission rate in older adults with pneumonia during hospitalization and 3 and 6 months after discharge.
Method: Eighty-two malnourished older adults with primary diagnosis of pneumonia participated. Patients were randomly allocated to either a nutrition intervention (NI) group or a standard care (SC) group. Participants in the NI group received an iNIP according to energy and protein intake requirements in addition to dietary advice based on face-to-face interviews with their family members during hospitalization. After discharge, phone calls are adopted for prescribing iNIPs. Anthropometry (i.e., body mass index, limb circumference, and subcutaneous fat thickness), blood parameters (i.e., albumin and total lymphocyte count), hospital stay, Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) score, target daily calorie intake, total calorie intake adherence rate, and three-major-nutrient intake were assessed during hospitalization and 3 and 6 months after discharge. Both groups received regular follow-up through phone calls. Furthermore, the rate of readmission resulting from pneumonia was recorded after discharge.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
82
Participants in the NI group received an iNIP according to energy and protein intake requirements in addition to dietary advice based on face-to-face interviews with their family members during hospitalization. After discharge, phone calls are adopted for prescribing iNIPs.
Pei-Hsin Yang
Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
nutritional status
Mini-Nutritional Assessment short-form scores;MNA-SF scores ranging within 0-7, 8-11, and 12-14 indicate malnutrition, risk of malnutrition, and normal nutritional status, respectively.
Time frame: up to 6 months of intervention
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