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The impact of trained volunteer mealtime assistants on the dietary intake of older female in-patients: The Southampton Mealtime Assistance Study
Objective Malnutrition among older hospital inpatients is common and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Time-pressured staff may struggle to provide mealtime assistance. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of trained volunteer mealtime assistants on the dietary intake of older inpatients...
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Published in: | The Journal of nutrition, health & aging health & aging, 2017-03, Vol.21 (3), p.320-328 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Objective
Malnutrition among older hospital inpatients is common and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Time-pressured staff may struggle to provide mealtime assistance. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of trained volunteer mealtime assistants on the dietary intake of older inpatients.
Design
Quasi-experimental two year pre and post- test study of the introduction of volunteer mealtime assistants to one acute medical female ward, with contemporaneous comparison with a control ward.
Setting
Two acute medical female wards in a university hospital in England.
Participants
Female acute medical inpatients aged 70 years and over who were not tube fed, nil by mouth, terminally ill or being nursed in a side room.
Intervention
The introduction of volunteer mealtime assistants to one ward to help patients during weekday lunchtimes in the intervention year.
Measurements
Patients’ background and clinical characteristics were assessed; 24-hour records were completed for individual patients to document dietary intake in both years on the two wards.
Results
A total of 407 patients, mean (SD) age 87.5 (5.4) years, were studied over the two-year period; the majority (57%) needed mealtime assistance and up to 50% were confused. Patients’ clinical characteristics did not differ between wards in the observational or intervention years. Throughout the intervention year volunteers provided mealtime assistance on weekday lunchtimes on the intervention ward only. Daily energy (median 1039 kcal; IQR 709, 1414) and protein (median 38.9 g: IQR 26.6, 54.0) intakes were very low (n=407). No differences in dietary intake were found between the wards in the observational or intervention years, or in a pre-post-test comparison of patients on the intervention ward. Data were therefore combined for further analysis to explore influences on dietary intake. In a multivariate model, the only independent predictor of energy intake was the feeding assistance required by patients; greater need for help was associated with lower energy intake (P |
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ISSN: | 1279-7707 1760-4788 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s12603-016-0791-1 |