Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Malnutrition is highly prevalent in hospitalized patients but seldom recognized and treated. Malnutrition poses several adverse events, such as increased infection rates, length of hospital stay, and mortality, as well as costs. Early nutrition interventions have been shown to decrease the associated malnutrition burdens, leading to relevant savings. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of nutrition therapy, including oral supplements to at-risk or malnourished adult inpatients admitted to the Brazilian Public System (SUS) hospitals.Method
A cost-effectiveness model, encompassing a 1-year period and regarding total costs, length of hospital stay, readmissions, and mortality related to malnutrition, was developed, having the provision of early nutrition therapy as the intervention variable. The number of avoided hospitalization days, prevented hospital readmissions, and prevented deaths defined the effectiveness of the model. All the costs were estimated based on the SUS database.Results
Early nutrition therapy provided to all at-risk or malnourished patients would represent cost-effectiveness of US $92.24, US $544.59, US $1848.12, and US $3698.92, for each day of hospitalization avoided, for additional patients having access to hospitalization, for preventing readmission, and for prevented death, respectively. The highest impact on savings was represented by the mean reduction in the length of hospital stay.Conclusion
Early oral nutrition intervention for patients malnourished or at risk of malnutrition resulted in overall reduced hospital costs. These findings provide a rationale to tackle the implementation of educational programs focusing on the care of inpatients with malnutrition or its risk.
SUBMITTER: Toulson Davisson Correia MI
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8697995 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Toulson Davisson Correia Maria Isabel MI Castro Melina M de Oliveira Toledo Diogo D Farah Daniela D Sansone Dayan D de Morais Andrade Tereza Raquel TR Tannus Branco de Araújo Gabriela G Fonseca Marcelo Cunio Machado MCM
JPEN. Journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition 20201221 7
<h4>Background</h4>Malnutrition is highly prevalent in hospitalized patients but seldom recognized and treated. Malnutrition poses several adverse events, such as increased infection rates, length of hospital stay, and mortality, as well as costs. Early nutrition interventions have been shown to decrease the associated malnutrition burdens, leading to relevant savings. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of nutrition therapy, including oral supplements to at-risk or malnouri ...[more]