Is it possible to influence ability, willingness and understanding among nursing home care staff to implement nutritional guidelines? A comparison of a facilitated and an educational strategy.

Background: Translating nutrition knowledge into care practice is challenging since multiple factors can affect the implementation process. This study examined the impact of two implementation strategies, that is external facilitation (EF) and educational outreach visits (EOVs), on the organisational context and individual factors when implementing nutritional guidelines in a nursing home (NH) setting.

Methods: The EF strategy was a one-year, multifaceted (including support, guidance, a practice audit and feedback) intervention given to four NH units.

The effects of nutritional guideline implementation on nursing home staff performance: a controlled trial.

Rationale: Suboptimal nutritional practices in elderly care settings may be resolved by an efficient introduction of nutritional guidelines.

Aims: To compare two different implementation strategies, external facilitation (EF) and educational outreach visits (EOVs), when introducing nutritional guidelines in nursing homes (NHs), and study the impact on staff performance.

Methodological Design: A quasi-experimental study with baseline and follow-up measurements.

Nutritional status predicts preterm death in older people: a prospective cohort study.

Background & Aims: There is an association between malnutrition and mortality. However, it is uncertain whether this association is independent of confounders. The aim of the present study was to examine whether nutritional status, defined according to the three categories in the full Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) instrument, is an independent predictor of preterm death in people 65 years and older.

Does undernutrition still prevail among nursing home residents?

Background & Aims: During recent years public awareness about malnutrition has increased and collective initiatives have been undertaken. Simultaneously, the number of older adults is increasing, and the elderly care has been placed under pressure. The aim was to assess the nutritional situation and one-year mortality among nursing home (NH) residents, and compare with historical data.

Mealtime habits and meal provision are associated with malnutrition among elderly patients admitted to hospital.

Background & Aims: Large-scale studies performed in hospitals with the validated Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) tool are scarce. However, factors associated with malnutrition are important for identifying individuals at risk. The aims of the present study were to estimate the prevalence of malnutrition and to examine the association between mealtime habits, meal provision, and malnutrition among elderly patients admitted to hospital.

Nutritional status and a 3-year follow-up in elderly receiving support at home.

Background: Elderly receiving public services and care are often frail, suffer from chronic diseases, and sustain a high risk for malnutrition.

Objective: To evaluate nutritional status and long-term outcome in elderly living at home.

Methods: Of 507 eligible subjects receiving home care in five Swedish municipalities, we examined 353 (age 82+/-7 years, 64% females).