Nutrition-Focused Care for Community-Living Adults: Healthcare Utilization and Economic Benefits.

Objectives: We assessed the impact of a recently reported nutritional quality improvement program (QIP) on healthcare resource utilization and costs for older, community-living adults in Bogotá, Colombia.

Methods: The study included 618 community-dwelling, older adults (> 60 years) who were at risk or malnourished and receiving outpatient clinical care. The intervention was a QIP that emphasized nutritional screening, dietary education, lifestyle counseling, 60-day consumption of oral nutritional supplements, and 90-day follow-up.

A nutritionally focused program for community-living older adults resulted in improved health and well-being.

Objectives: Among older adults, malnutrition is common and is associated with increased risk for impaired health and functionality, conditions further associated with poorer quality of life. In this study of community-living older adults, our objective was to quantify outcome changes following identification and treatment of malnutrition or its risk.

Design: Our intervention was a nutritional quality improvement program (QIP).

Use of a nutrition-focused quality improvement program for community-living older adults at malnutrition risk is associated with better nutritional outcomes.

Background & Aims: Among older adults, malnutrition or its risk is common and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality plus increased need for healthcare utilization. We aimed to identify and treat malnutrition risk among older adults who received care at an outpatient clinic after a recent hospitalization and/or for management of a chronic disease.

Methods: From the outpatient clinic of Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Colombia, we recruited older adults (>60 years) with malnutrition or its risk according to the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF).

Hospital nutrition care informs potential cost-savings for healthcare: A budget impact analysis.

Background And Aim: In Mexico, about half of hospitalized patients are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition upon hospital admission, while many others experience deterioration of their nutritional status while in the hospital. Such patients often experience poor health outcomes and have increased hospital costs. The aim of our budget-impact analysis was to estimate potential savings associated with the implementation of a Mexican hospital-based program of nutrition care for patients at malnutrition risk or malnourished.

Targeting malnutrition: Nutrition programs yield cost savings for hospitalized patients.

Background & Aims: Between 30 and 50% of Colombian patients are malnourished or at-risk of malnutrition on hospital admission. Malnutrition is associated with poor outcomes and increased costs. We used cost modeling to estimate savings that could be derived from implementation of a nutrition therapy program for patients at malnutrition risk.