P944 - NURSE INTERVENTIONS FOR INPATIENTS AT RISK OF MALNUTRITION: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

P944

NURSE INTERVENTIONS FOR INPATIENTS AT RISK OF MALNUTRITION: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

G. Gugelmo^1,*, C. Daicampi^2,3, A. Dorigato⁴, N. Vitturi¹, G. P. Fadini¹, S. S. Piano², R. Valentini⁵, F. Francini Pesenti⁵, L. Busetto⁵, M. Degan³

¹Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolic Diseases, University Hospital of Padova, ²Department of Medicine, ³Department of Health Professions, Padova University Hospital, ⁴University of Padova, ⁵Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Nutrition, University Hospital of Padova, Padova, Italy

Rationale: Malnutrition in hospitalized patients is a critical concern, contributing to prolonged hospital stay and increased morbidity. This systematic review examines the effect of interventions by the nurse staff on nutritional management, focusing on counseling, motivational support, and nutritional education.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane, and CINAHL following PRISMA guidelines. Studies meeting inclusion criteria, primarily randomized controlled trials (RCTs), assessed the impact of nursing interventions on nutritional status, intake, hospital stay, and related complications.

Results: Twelve studies (N=3,599 participants) were identified. Nursing interventions were categorized in: (i) counseling and motivational support, (ii) nutritional education, and (iii) combined interventions. These approaches led to improved protein-energy intake, reduced mealtime barriers, and enhanced nutritional status, with longer interventions yielding greater benefits. However, variability in study design and unclear definitions of the nurses' roles made direct comparisons challenging. Multidisciplinary collaboration significantly improved outcomes, but the specific impact of nursing interventions alone remains difficult to isolate.

Conclusion: Nursing interventions are useful in preventing and managing hospital malnutrition, particularly within multidisciplinary frameworks. However, inconsistencies in intervention design, training, and study quality hinder definitive conclusions. Further high-quality research is needed to define and quantify nurses' contributions within nutritional care pathways. Standardizing clinical nutrition education for nurses and optimizing staff organization could enhance intervention effectiveness and help mitigate hospital malnutrition.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared