Nutrition Day in nursing homes – risk factors for malnutrition

Abstract

Introduction:Most medicines are taken by the elderly because they suffer natural changes, which lead to chronic and degenerative diseases. Older people often have increasingly complex medication regimens, which may lead to errors with dosing and administration and to non-adherence to therapy. As so, the complexity of a medication regimen may be an independent risk factor for poor outcomes. It can be determined not only by the quantity of medicines a person takes daily but also by other regimen characteristics such as multiple dosage forms, frequency of dosing, and additional usage directions. Objectives:The objective of this study was to determine and evaluate the medication regimen complexity in an elderly population, in Tábua. Methods:Surveys were applied to elderly people in order to collect the medication data. The study lasted for 2 months and took place at a pharmacy (n = 150). Only people with !65 years were included. Medication regimen complexity was assessed using the Brazilian translation for the Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI). Data was treated with SPSS statistical program. Results:From the 150 of the elderly inquired, 82 were females (54,7%) and 68 were males (45,3%). The mean of ages was 76,82 years. The mean MRCI scores for medication regimens and number of daily medications were 25,6 and 8,26, respectively. 64,7% of the participants had high scores of MRCI (>20). Results also showed that the number of medicines taken daily is positively related with the MRCI. Data from the 3 sections of the MRCI shows that section B (Dosing frequency) is the one who contributes the most for MRCI scores, followed by section C (Additional directions). Conclusions:Healthcare professionals should be aware that high levels of medication regimen complexity suggest bad outcomes and non-adherence to therapy. They should assist the elderly, help avoid errors, and find solutions to reduce complexity, whenever possible.

Prevalencia del riesgo de desnutrición en pacientes del servicio de medicina interna de un hospital mexicano: resultados de la encuesta nutritionDay 2021

“…La implementación del nDay permite realizar una actualización anual del perfil de riesgo nutricional de los pacientes hospitalizados; sienta las bases para implementar intervenciones nutricionales específicas para mejorar la calidad de la atención nutricia a nivel hospitalario a través de cambios de conducta y de práctica (15) , y promueve la adquisición de conocimiento sobre el impacto de la desnutrición institucional y de la importancia de la calidad de la atención nutricional hospitalaria (16,17) .…”