Effects of individualized dietary programs provided by nurses on nutrition and micro-inflammation of patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD): A non-randomized controlled study

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the effects of individualized dietary programs provided by nurses on the nutrition and micro-inflammation of patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). This study employed the convenience sampling method for selecting participants. Accordingly, 60 patients undergoing PD who visited a PD center from January to June 2022 were selected as the control group, and 60 patients undergoing PD who visited the same PD center from November 2022 to April 2023 were selected as the intervention group. Participants in the intervention group received individualized dietary nutrition programs, whereas those in the control group received general nursing programs. The nutritional and micro-inflammatory statuses of participants in both groups were assessed after 6 months. The nutritional status was assessed based on nutritional scores and blood tests (red blood cells, pre-albumin, albumin, ultrasensitive C-reactive protein, white blood cells, lymphocytes, neutrophils, and globulins), and the micro-inflammatory status was assessed based on blood tests. After 6 months, the intervention group outperformed the control group in terms of lymphocyte percentage, ultrasensitive C-reactive protein level, lymphocyte count, and white blood cell count (P < .05). In addition, globulin, preprotein, albumin, and hemoglobin levels, and red blood cell count were higher in the intervention group compared to the control group (P < .05). The results also showed a lower prevalence of peritonitis in the intervention group (P < .05). The participants in the intervention group obtained lower nutritional scores than those in the control group (P < .05). There were no significant differences between the pre- and post-intervention indexes in the control group (P > .05). In contrast, the studied indexes significantly improved in the intervention group (P < .05). The study findings suggested that individualized dietary programs provided by nurses can improve malnutrition, micro-inflammatory, and peritonitis in patients with PD.