Can the Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS-2002) predict unfavorable clinical outcome in hospitalized elderly patients?

Background: The prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized elderly patients (HEP) is high.

Objective: To investigate the behavior of several nutritional indicators and predictors of unfavorable clinical outcome.

Methods: Retrospective study with hospitalized elderly patients (N = 322). Nutritional instruments, indicators and outcome were investigated. Chi-square, Fisher and Mann-Whitney tests and univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were used.

Results: The variables that, jointly, were associated with hospital stay longer than 7 days, include: the presence of complications (p = 0.0328; OR 1.946; IC95% 1.056; 3.585) and nutritional risk according to the NRS-2002 (p = 0.0016; OR 2.080; IC95% 1.322; 3.275). The variable that remained associated with complications in the multiple model was the nutritional risk according to the NRS-2002 (p = 0.0018; OR 2.587; IC95% 1.423; 4.703).

Conclusion: Nutritional risk using the NRS-2002 is a predictor of clinical outcome in hospitalized elderly patients.