The study investigates whether clinical dietitians at a hospital ward can improve patients' dietary intake during hospitalisation, and whether it can prevent patients from being admitted efter discharge and improve their prognosis. Dietary intake will be measured daily and readmittance within 30 days from discharge will be registered. Questionnaires will be used to assess patients' satisfaction with nutritional care during hospitalisation.
Clinical dietitians have been an integrated part of the medical pulmonary ward at Gødstrup Hospital since early 2022. They carry out nutritional screening, nutritional treatment and assisst and guide patients in ordering of meals from the hospital's flexible á la carte food service concept. The study aims to evaluate the effect of the clinical dietitians' effort on patients nutritional intake, risk of readmittance after discharge and 30-days mortality. The study is observational, and no changes to the current standard of nutritional care will be implemented throughout the study period. Nutritional intake will be measured daily throughout hospitalisation. Readmittances and vital status will be measured at day 30. To evaluate the effect of the dietitians' effort, data will be compared to historical data from a previous completed study at the same ward. Patient satisfaction with nutrional care during hospitalisation will be measured with a purpose-designed questionnaire. Informed written consent will be obtained from all patients before inclusion, and they will be informed that their partitipation is voluntary and that they can withdraw their consent at anytime.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
41
Gødstrup Hospital
Herning, Denmark
Nutritional intake
Mean daily energy and protein intake in percentage of estimated requrements
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 5 days
Length of hospital stay
Number of days from admission date at the pulmonary ward to discharge.
Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 5 days
Readmission
Number of participants that have been readmitted after discharge
Time frame: Measured at day 30
30-days mortality
Measured as vital status at follow-up
Time frame: Measured at day 30
Patients' experience of whether they received nutritional guidance during hospitalisation
The degree to which patients experience to have received nutritional guidance measured on 5-point Likert scales (5 indicating very high degree, 1 indicating very low degree)
Time frame: Measured at day of discharge, on average day 5
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