LB032 - NUTRITIONAL RISK IDENTIFIED BY NRS-2002 AND DIETITIAN REFERRAL PATTERNS AMONG HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS IN MONGOLIA

LB032

NUTRITIONAL RISK IDENTIFIED BY NRS-2002 AND DIETITIAN REFERRAL PATTERNS AMONG HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS IN MONGOLIA

E. Dondog^1,*, M. Dashtseren¹

¹Patient Support Center, Mongolia-Japan Hospital, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Rationale: Nutritional risk is common among hospitalized patients and is associated with prolonged hospital stay, increased complications, and poorer clinical outcomes. Although Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002) is widely used to identify patients requiring nutrition care, little is known about whether patients identified as being at nutritional risk are subsequently referred to dietitians in routine clinical practice. This study assessed nutritional risk identified by NRS-2002 and its relationship with dietitian referral.

Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 318 hospitalized patients at a tertiary hospital in Mongolia between September and October 2025. Nutritional risk was assessed by a dietitian using NRS-2002. Referral status was verified through the hospital information system using formal dietitian consultation requests. Patient age, body mass index, nutritional risk status, and referral patterns were analyzed. Associations between nutritional risk and referral status were evaluated using chi-square testing.

Results: Overall, 30.3% (96/318) of patients were at nutritional risk. Older adults represented 47.9% of all at-risk patients, and 85% of patients aged ≥70 years were at nutritional risk. Nutritional risk was significantly associated with dietitian referral (χ²=95.36, p<0.001). Among patients at nutritional risk, only 42.3% were referred to a dietitian, while 57.7% received no dietitian referral.

Conclusion: Nutritional risk was common among hospitalized patients, particularly older adults. Although referral was associated with nutritional risk status, more than half of at-risk patients were not referred to a dietitian. Strengthening screening-to-referral pathways may improve access to nutrition care.

References: none

Disclosure of Interest: None declared