Interns’ knowledge of, and attitudes and practices towards malnutrition and hydration

Abstract

Background Malnutrition and inappropriate hydration can result in adverse clinical consequences for patients in acute tertiarycare hospitals. Interns have an important role in ensuring optimal patient nutrition and hydration care. Aims To determine the knowledge of, and attitudes and practices towards, the assessment and management of malnutrition and hydration of interns working in an Australian acute tertiary-care hospital. Methods Eighty-four interns completed a purpose-designed questionnaire. Results The mean percentage of correct responses for knowledge questions was 53.4 per cent for malnutrition and 56.0 per cent for hydration. Most participants did not undertake assessment of nutritional status as part of their medical examination (n=55 [65 per cent]) whereas the majority did assess hydration status (n=78 [92 per cent]). A minority believed they had adequate knowledge to identify patients at risk of malnutrition (n=14 [16 per cent]) or manage a patient with malnutrition (n=13 [15 per cent]) whereas a majority believed they had adequate knowledge to manage patient hydration (n=61 [72 per cent]). The majority of participants indicated that further training on malnutrition (n=76 [90 per cent]) and hydration (n=74 [88 per cent]) would be beneficial. Conclusion Participants demonstrated poor knowledge of the core principles of malnutrition and hydration and acknowledged the need for further education. Given the detrimental impact of malnutrition and inappropriate fluid management on patient outcomes and healthcare costs, medical schools and hospitals need to collaborate and explore effective education strategies for interns.