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.

Background: Nutrition is vital for health and recovery during hospitalisation, however most patients fail to meet minimum dietary requirements and up to 50% of patients are malnourished in hospital. When patients participate in nutrition care, their dietary intakes are improved. Advances in health information technology (HIT) have broadened the ways by which patients can participate in care. Our team has developed an innovative, HIT-based intervention (called NUTRI-TEC; engaging patients in their nutrition care using technology), facilitating patient participation in their nutrition care in hospital. This paper aims to describe the systematic and iterative process by which the intervention was developed. Methods: NUTRI-TEC development was informed by the Medical Research Council guidance for developing complex interventions and underpinned by theoretical frameworks and concepts (i.e. integrated knowledge translation and patient participation in care), existing evidence and a rigorous program of research. The intervention was co-developed by the multidisciplinary research team and stakeholders, including health consumers (patients), health professionals and industry partners. We used an iterative development and evaluation cycle and regularly tested the intervention with hospital patients and clinicians. Results: The NUTRI-TEC intervention involves active patient participation in their nutrition care during hospitalisation. It has two components: 1) Patient education and training; and 2) Guided nutrition goal setting and patient-generated dietary intake tracking. The first component includes brief education on the importance of meeting energy/protein requirements in hospital; and training on how to use the hospital's electronic foodservice system, accessed via bedside computer screens. The second component involves patients recording their food intake after each meal on their bedside computer and tracking their intakes relative to their goals. This is supported with brief, daily goal-setting sessions with a health care professional.

Hospital-acquired malnutrition is a significant issue with complex aetiology, hence nutrition interventions must be multifaceted and context-specific. This paper describes the development, implementation and process evaluation of a complex intervention for improving nutrition among medical patients in an Australian hospital. An integrated knowledge translation (iKT) approach was used for intervention development, informed by previous research. Intervention strategies targeted patients (via a nutrition intake monitoring system); staff (discipline-specific training targeting identified barriers); and the organisation (foodservice system changes). A process evaluation was conducted parallel to implementation assessing reach, dose, fidelity and staff responses to the intervention using a mixed-methods design (quantitative and qualitative approaches). Staff-level interventions had high fidelity and broad reach (61% nurses, 93% foodservice staff and all medical staff received training). Patient and organisation interventions were implemented effectively, but due to staffing issues, only reached around 60% of patients. Staff found all intervention strategies acceptable with benefits to practice. This study found an iKT approach useful for designing a nutrition intervention that was context-specific, feasible and acceptable to staff. This was likely due to engagement of multiple disciplines, identifying and targeting specific areas in need of improvement, and giving staff frequent opportunities to contribute to intervention development/implementation.

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Empowering patients to participate in nutrition care during hospitalisation may improve their dietary intakes and associated outcomes. This study tested the acceptability and feasibility of a technology-based intervention to engage hospital patients in nutrition care at a tertiary teaching hospital in Australia. The hospital used an electronic foodservice system (EFS), by which patients ordered meals via bedside computers. Adults at nutritional risk received the nutrition technology (NUTRI-TEC) intervention, involving nutrition assessment, education on nutrition requirements and training on using the EFS to enter food intakes and monitor nutrition goals. Acceptability was assessed using patient satisfaction and engagement surveys. Feasibility was assessed by evaluating the intervention delivery/fidelity and patient recruitment/retention. Patients’ dietary intakes were observed daily to indicate the intervention’s effects and assess the accuracy of the patient-recorded intakes. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Of the 71 patients recruited, 49 completed the study (55% male; median (IQR) age 71 (65–78) years; length of stay 10 (7–14) days). Patient satisfaction with NUTRI-TEC was high. Intervention delivery and fidelity targets were met but recruitment (≥50%) and retention (≥75%) targets were not; only 31% of patients agreed to participate and 69% completed the study (mostly due to unexpected/early discharge). Patient- and researcher-recorded dietary intakes correlated strongly, indicating patients can record food intakes accurately using technology. This study highlights the important role technology is likely to play in facilitating patient engagement and improving care during hospitalisation.