Improving Nutrition Care, Delivery, and Intakes Among Hospitalised Patients: A Mixed Methods, Integrated Knowledge Translation Study

Abstract

Malnutrition is a common and complex problem in hospitals. This study used an integrated knowledge translation approach to develop, implement, and evaluate a multifaceted, tailored intervention to improve nutrition care, delivery, and intake among acute medical inpatients. This observational, pre-post study was conducted in a medical ward at a public hospital in Australia. The intervention was co-developed with key stakeholders and targeted three levels: individuals (nutrition intake magnets at patient bedsides), the ward (multidisciplinary hospital staff training), and the organisation (foodservice system changes). Observational data were collected pre- and post-intervention on patient demographics, food intakes, and the mealtime environment. Data were entered into SPSS and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Ethical approval was gained through the hospital and university ethics committees. A total of 207 patients were observed; 116 pre- and 91 post-intervention. After intervention implementation, patients’ mean energy and protein intakes (in proportion to their estimated requirements) were significantly higher and the number of patients eating adequately doubled (p < 0.05). In summary, a multifaceted, pragmatic intervention, tailored to the study context and developed and implemented alongside hospital staff and patients, seemed to be effective in improving nutrition practices and patient nutrition intakes on an acute medical ward.