PP116 - EFFECT OF AN EXPANDED BREAKFAST BUFFET ON DAILY ENERGY AND PROTEIN INTAKE IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS: A CROSSOVER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT STUDY

PP116

EFFECT OF AN EXPANDED BREAKFAST BUFFET ON DAILY ENERGY AND PROTEIN INTAKE IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS: A CROSSOVER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT STUDY

J. H. Hundebøll^1,*, I. Wessel^1,2, F. Magkos³, A. Rytter¹

¹Clinical Nutrition Center, Department of Transplantation and Digestive Diseases, ²Department of Otolaryngology and Audiology , Rigshospitalet, ³Department of Nutrition and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Rationale: Hospitalized patients often fail to meet energy and protein requirements; breakfast following the overnight fast may be an opportunity to improve intake. This study evaluated whether an expanded breakfast buffet increases total daily energy and protein intake.

Methods: A quasi-randomized crossover study was conducted in seven medical and surgical wards at a publicly funded tertiary referral center. Breakfast alternated daily between the standard hospital buffet and an expanded buffet offering a wider selection of energy- and protein-rich foods. Patients were observed for up to four consecutive days during admission, allowing exposure to both conditions. Dietary intake was assessed using weighed food records across all meals, with full-day intake recorded through direct observation during daytime (07:00–19:00) and structured nursing staff registration overnight. Only days with complete dietary registration were included (e.g., excluding fasting or partial days). Within-patient differences were analyzed using linear mixed models.

Results: 71 patients contributed paired data. The expanded breakfast increased energy (+150 kcal, p<0.001) and protein (+6.1 g, p<0.001) intake, with no compensation at later meals. This translated into higher total daily intake, with increases of +207 kcal (p=0.008) and +7.5 g protein (p=0.012). Energy and protein adequacy improved by +9.2 and +7.6 percentage points (p=0.015 for both). Effects were most pronounced among patients with the lowest baseline intake, indicating greatest benefit in those at highest nutritional risk.

Conclusion: An expanded breakfast buffet increased total daily energy and protein intake. This simple and scalable intervention represents a promising strategy to improve nutritional intake in routine clinical care, with potential for broader application across hospital meals.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared