PD1009 - TIME-EFFICIENT ORAL NUTRITION SUPPORT PROTOCOL (ONSP) IMPROVES INTAKE IN ELDERLY INPATIENTS

PD1009

TIME-EFFICIENT ORAL NUTRITION SUPPORT PROTOCOL (ONSP) IMPROVES INTAKE IN ELDERLY INPATIENTS

T. M. F. Ajao^1,*, J. Bryant², W. Ma³

¹Adult Dietetics, Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust, ²Department of Adult Dietetics, St. George’s University Hospital NHS Trust, ³Department of Nutritional Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom

Rationale: National guidelines recommend nutrition support for individuals at risk of malnutrition¹. An ONSP may provide a time-efficient means of improving nutritional outcomes in high patient volume settings; this study evaluated the impact of an ONSP on nutritional intake and clinical time savings.

Methods: At a London hospital, an ONSP was devised based on geriatric clinical nutrition guidelines². The ONSP was initiated in patients with a Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool score of 1, reduced appetite or a body mass index (BMI) of 18-18.5 kg/m². The ONSP included 2 daily oral nutritional supplements (600 kcal, 24 g protein), hypercaloric food, mealtime assistance, food charts, and weekly weights. The expected outcome was to maintain or improve nutritional status after 1 week. Data were collected on age, ward type, referral reason, supplement adherence, and protocol outcome. Net clinical time savings with the ONSP were calculated relative to a full dietetic assessment, including time spent on re-referrals. This service improvement project did not require ethical approval.

Results: In 3 months, 41 patients were included (mean age 84 years) with 41% on elderly care wards. The main referral reasons were a low BMI (51%) and reduced appetite (41%). 32 patients (78%) achieved ≥50% supplement adherence. 8 patients (20%) required dietetic follow-up, while 30 patients (73%) were discharged without further input. The ONSP saved an estimated 15 clinical hours over 3 months.

Conclusion: The ONSP improved nutritional intake in >70% of elderly patients and saved 15 clinical hours, which may be reallocated to complex patients or other duties. However, the small single-site sample limits generalisability.

References:         1. NICE. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg32/resources/nutrition-support-for-adults-oral-nutrition-support-enteral-tube-feeding-and-parenteral-nutrition-pdf-975383198917 [25.03.2026]

        2. Volkert et al. Clin Nutr, 2022;41(4):958-89.

Disclosure of Interest: T. Ajao Other: A Nutricia oral nutritional supplement product was used as part of the nutrition support protocol as this product is licensed under our local contract. However, Nutricia did not have any involvement in the conception, design, implementation or analysis of this service improvement project., J. Bryant: None declared, W. Ma: None declared