Prevalence of malnutrition risk in hospitalized patients: a large nationwide study

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition affects up to 50% of hospitalized patients at admission and is linked to significant adverse outcomes, impacting both patient health and healthcare resources. The aim of this nationwide study was to report the prevalence of malnutrition risk among hospitalized adult patients by Turkish Society of Clinical Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition (KEPAN). Methods: Thirty-three hospitals with nutrition support teams in 29 referral hospitals in 21 different cities were included. The data was collected by web-based NRS-2002 integrated to hospital information system of all participating centers. Results: A total of 191,028 patients (54.6% men) were included. The prevalence of malnutrition risk was found to be 11.6% among all patients and 20.4% in patients older than 65 years (22.8% in 71–80 years and 30.2% in > 80 years). Among clinics, this prevalence was highest in the intensive care units (31.9%), followed by hematology and oncology clinics (25.5%), and neurology clinics (18.7%). Conclusion: There is a considerable risk of malnutrition in hospitalized patients and this risk is more prominent in older patients and in intensive care and oncology clinics.