P722 - INADEQUATE NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT IN OLDER ADULTS RECEIVING REHABILITATION: INSIGHTS FROM A MULTICENTRE STUDY

P722

INADEQUATE NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT IN OLDER ADULTS RECEIVING REHABILITATION: INSIGHTS FROM A MULTICENTRE STUDY

T. Yamamoto^1,2,*, K. Yasutake^1,2, S. Ando³, A. Toriyama⁴, N. Masayuki⁵, M. Atsushi⁶

¹Department of Nutritional Sciences, ²Food & Health Innovation Center, Nakamura Gakuen University, Fukuoka, ³Department of Nutritional Management, NHO Beppu Medical Center, Beppu, ⁴Department of Nutritional Management, NHO Kyoto Medical Center, Kyoto, ⁵Department of Nutritional Management, NHO Iwakuni Clinical Center, Iwakuni, ⁶Department of Respiratory Medicine, NHO Fukuoka Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan

Rationale: This multicentre observational study aimed to investigate the changes in nutrient intake and nutritional indices in older adults undergoing long-term rehabilitation in a general hospital.

Methods: The study included patients aged ≥ 65 years who were admitted to 41 National Hospital Organisation hospitals nationwide between September 2019 and March 2020. The patients had cerebrovascular, cardiac, respiratory, musculoskeletal diseases. Physical measurements, blood test values, energy and nutrient intake, and activities of daily living were investigated at admission and discharge.

Results: The analysis included 222 patients (125 men and 97 women) with a mean age of 78.9 years. At admission, 75.7% of patients were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition based on the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) score, with the highest prevalence (84.1%) observed in patients with respiratory disease. Although energy intake significantly increased during hospitalisation in all disease groups, only 31.1% of patients met the estimated energy requirement at discharge, and their body mass index (BMI) and nutritional index decreased. Logistic regression analysis identified age at admission, sex (female), BMI, energy intake, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and MNA-SF score as predictors of energy sufficiency at discharge.

Conclusion: Nutritional management in general hospitals may be inadequate for older adults requiring long-term rehabilitation. Despite increased energy and nutrient intake, nutritional indices decreased. To prevent the unintentional deterioration of nutritional status during hospitalisation, careful consideration of dietary content and nutritional interventions based on appropriate assessment and monitoring is essential, particularly for patients at risk of malnutrition. 

Disclosure of Interest: None declared