The Impact of Denutrition on the Hospital Length of Stay for Patients Undergoing Rehabilitation

CHU Brugmann University Hospital

Status: Completed

Conditions: Denutrition

Treatments: Other: Pre-albumine dosage; Other: Nutritional evaluation; Other: Muscular assessment

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02913846

CHUB-Nut-Reva

Details and patient eligibility

About

Denutrition is defined as a measurable decrease in functions and/or as change in the body composition, associated with a worsening of the prognosis of the underlying medico-surgical pathology. It is induced by a deficiency in energy, proteins or any other micro or macronutrient and is the result of malnutrition, itself caused by a poor diet or a metabolic disorder.

According to the National Nutrition and Health Plan for Belgium, denutrition is an independent risk factor for the increase of complications, morbidity and mortality rates, average length of hospitalisation and global medical care cost. It is necessary to invest in the prevention of denutrition as the costs of preventive measures are lower than the cost of treating a denutrished patient.

The Belgian financing system of hospitalisation days is based on the structure of the treated pathologies, the age of the patient and the geriatric features of the patient. It encourages all hospitals to lower the length of hospitalisation to the national average for all these criteria. As a consequence, there is a mounting tendency to shorten the average length of stay within the hospital.

The so-called 'Sp' hospital departments occupy a specific place within the organisation of Health Services in Belgium. They are specialized in the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with cardiopulmonary, neurological, locomotor, psycho-geriatric and chronic diseases. These services act as an extension of acute services (continuity of acute hospitalisation) but also as a first entry point for the medical care of patients with various specific diseases (multiple sclerosis, psycho-geriatric disorders, chronic pulmonary disorders...).

The financing of the Sp departments is, as opposed to the financing of other departments, not linked to the patient length of stay. However, an increase in hospitalization duration decreases the rate of admissions and the possibility to accept patients coming from acute hospital units.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the influence of denutrition of patients hospitalized in an Sp department on the length of revalidation stay, the associated costs and the patient's functional autonomy.

Enrollment: 180 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• All patients admitted within a revalidation unit of the CHU Brugmann hospital

Exclusion criteria

• Patients without programmed exit: transfer to another care unit, forced exit, death...

Trial design

180 participants in 1 patient group

Hospital revalidation units

Description:

The study will take place within the CHU Brugmann hospital (Brussels) who has 4 revalidation units (104 beds). All patients coming within these units during the study duration will be included.

Treatment:

Other: Nutritional evaluation

Other: Pre-albumine dosage

Other: Muscular assessment