Prevalence of malnutrition and impact on 30-day hospital readmission in adults receiving home care and ambulatory care: A descriptive cohort study

Background

Little is known about the prevalence of malnutrition among patients receiving home care (HC) and ambulatory care (AC) services. Further, the risk of hospital readmission in malnourished patients transitioning from hospital to HC or AC is also not well established. This study aims to address these two gaps.

Methods

A descriptive cohort study of newly referred HC and AC patients between January and December 2019 was conducted. Nutrition status was assessed by clinicians using the Mini Nutritional Assessment–Short Form (MNA-SF). Prevalence of malnutrition and at risk of malnutrition (ARM) was calculated, and a log-binomial regression model was used to estimate the relative risk of hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge for those who were malnourished and referred from hospital.

Results

A total of 3704 MNA-SFs were returned, of which 2402 (65%) had complete data. The estimated prevalence of malnutrition and ARM among newly referred HC and AC patients was 21% (95% CI: 19%–22%) and 55% (95% CI: 53%–57%), respectively. The estimated risk of hospital readmission for malnourished patients was 2.7 times higher (95% CI: 1.9%–3.9%) and for ARM patients was 1.9 times higher (95% CI: 1.4%–2.8%) than that of patients with normal nutrition status.

Conclusion

The prevalence of malnutrition and ARM among HC and AC patients is high. Malnutrition and ARM are correlated with an increased risk of hospital readmission 30 days posthospital discharge.