NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF INPATIENTS IN HUE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Background: Nutritional status is a set of functional, structural and biochemical characteristics that reflect the level of nutritional needs of the body. Both undernutrition and overnutrition affect human health in general and the health of patients in particular. Malnutrition prolongs hospital stay, reduces resistance and increases the risk of complications. Therefore, screening and evaluating the nutrition status of patients is important in the treatment process. Objectives: 1. To screen and assess the nutritional status of inpatients at the Hue University Hospital; 2. To find out some factors related to the patient’s nutritional status. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 700 inpatients at departments of internal medicine and surgery, Hue University Hospital. NRS2002 tool was used for screening nutritional risk, Body Mass Index (BMI) was used for assessing nutritional status and questionnaires was used to understand some of the risk factors. Results: Prevalence of inpatients had nutritional risk was 37.4%, in which 38.1% at internal medicine department and 36.8% at surgery departments. Assessment of nutritional status by using BMI showed that 28.1% of inpatients was undernutrition (24.2% at internal medicine departments, and 32.4% at surgery departments); Some risk factors for undernutrition of inpatients were old age (≥ 60 group was higher than <60 (p <0.001), smoking (smokers were at higher risk than patients used to smoke and nonsmokers (p<0.001); living place (patients who live in rural areas had a 1.6 times higher risk of undernutrition than those living in urban areas (p<0.001). Conclusions: Prevalence of inpatients with nutritional risk in internal medicine and surgery was quite high. All inpatients should be screened for nutritional status for better treatment.