Beneficial effect of nutritional support for the patients in prehospital term

Abstract

Patient supporting center opened in our hospital in August 2013. It focused on eliminating patient anxieties during waiting term before their admission. Various kinds of healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses, nutrition advisers, pharmacists, and rehabilitation staffs try together to provide necessary information before admission. Nutrition advisers in the department of nutrient management provide special nutrition guidance to the patients either with malnutrition or the diabetics and overweighed.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of this program in the management of the patient care afterwards.

From August 2013 to January 2014, 952 patients visited to patient supporting center. Of those, 287 patients (30%) received special nutritional approach by the dietary managing staffs. 160 patients (17%) were diabetic and/or hypertensive. 39 obese patients (BMI≥25) in prehospital period revealed apparent weight loss by the time of their admission into hospital. Food allergy protective meal could be prepared in 52 patients (5.5%). Nutrition dietary advices were prepared for 1.5 times the number of patients compared with those last year. The number of special meal menu provided for the patients increased 3.2% compared with that of last year.

It is suggested that diet intervention in prehospital stage in patient support center is useful in patient nutrition management in hospital life as well as to patient profits.