DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. and ABBOTT
PARK, Ill., Dec. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/
-- While proper nutrition is vital to staying healthy, its
importance becomes more critical for patients recovering in the
hospital. A new study by
Advocate Health Care and Abbott (NYSE: ABT) found that
optimizing nutrition care in the hospital could help reduce 30-day
readmission rates by 27 percent and the average hospital stay by
almost two days for malnourished patients.
Across the U.S., 1 in 3 people enter the hospital malnourished,
which can often go unrecognized and undertreated.2-3 To
help improve care for malnourished patients, Advocate implemented
two versions of a nutrition care program – basic and enhanced – at
four of its Chicagoland hospitals. Both programs required care
teams to conduct patient malnutrition risk screenings using a
validated tool on the hospitals' electronic medical records system,
and provide nutrition treatment and support for malnourished or
at-risk patients. The enhanced program included more immediate
treatment upon hospital admission and follow-up calls to confirm
their continued nutrition treatment after leaving the hospital.
Researchers at the four hospitals followed more than 1,200
adults at-risk of malnutrition during their stay to assess the
impact of the nutrition programs on the patients' chances of
hospital readmissions, as well as their lengths of hospital stays.
When compared to the hospitals' previous readmission rates and
lengths of stay for malnourished patients, researchers found that
using either of the nutrition care programs had an impact, on
average, of:
- Reducing the risk of patient readmissions from 22.1 percent to
16.1 percent (27 percent reduction).
- Shortening the risk of a patient's length of stay from 7.2 days
to 5.4 days (25 percent reduction).
"Incorporating a simple nutrition care program at hospitals can
dramatically accelerate patients' recovery times, and if adopted by
providers nationwide, could have tremendous benefits for the health
care system at-large," said Krishnan
Sriram, MD, tele-intensivist at Advocate Health Care and
lead author of the study. "Advocate has been a pioneer in
implementing data-driven, value-based care at our hospitals, but
it's important for all care providers to consider the effect of
even modest interventions, which can significantly improve outcomes
while reducing the overall cost of care."
The Value of Nutrition in Hospitals
As hospitals look for ways to improve patient care and reduce
readmissions, this study builds on existing research that confirms
nutrition can be a simple, cost-effective tool. While nutrition
screenings are considered standard-of-care in the hospital, not all
use a validated screening tool or implement treatment immediately
if someone is considered at-risk. Additionally, when people leave
the hospital, many times they do not receive education or follow-up
to ensure they are following a nutrition plan to aid their
recovery.
"This one-of-a-kind study is leading the way as a model for
other hospitals around the world to use nutrition for improving
patient care, whether they are in a rural town or urban city," said
Suela Sulo, PhD, a health outcomes
researcher at Abbott and co-author of the study. "By prioritizing
nutrition in the hospital, health care providers can help ensure
they are giving their patients the best chances of recovering, and
getting them back to living a healthy life."
About the Study:
A Comprehensive Nutrition-focused
Quality Improvement Program Reduces 30-day Readmissions and Length
of Stay in Hospitalized Patients, published online December 6 in the Journal of Parenteral and
Enteral Nutrition, was a multi-site, two-group, pre-post study to
evaluate two nutrition Quality Improvement Programs (QIP):
- Two hospitals implemented a basic program (QIPb), which
included screening patients for malnutrition using a validated tool
and providing treatment (oral nutrition supplements) and nutrition
support within 24-48 hours of admission.
- Two hospitals implemented an enhanced program (QIPe), which
provided oral nutrition supplements and nutrition support within 24
hours through the hospitals' electronic medical records, and added
post-discharge support including instructions, coupons and
follow-up phone calls to confirm patients continued taking their
oral nutrition supplement.
The study's primary outcome was 30-day unplanned readmissions,
with a secondary outcome of hospital length of stay. A total of
1,269 participants aged 18+ at risk of malnutrition were enrolled
between October 13, 2014 and
April 2, 2015.
The study was funded by Abbott, which had no role in data
collection or analysis.
About Advocate Health Care:
Advocate Health Care is
the largest health system in Illinois and one of the largest health care
providers in the Midwest. A national leader in population health
management, Advocate is one of the largest Accountable Care
Organizations in the country. Advocate operates more than 450 sites
of care and 12 hospitals, including two of the nation's 100 Top
Hospitals, the state's largest integrated children's network, five
Level I trauma centers (the state's highest designation in trauma
care), three Level II trauma centers, one of the area's largest
home health and hospice companies and one of the region's largest
medical groups. Advocate Health Care trains more primary care
physicians and residents at its four teaching hospitals than any
other health system in the state. As a not-for-profit,
mission-based health system affiliated with the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ,
Advocate contributed $686 million in
charitable care and services to communities across Chicagoland and
Central Illinois in 2015.
Connect with us at www.advocatehealth.com, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/AdvocateHealthCare and on Twitter at
@AdvocateHealth.
About Abbott:
At Abbott, we're committed to helping
people live their best possible life through the power of health.
For more than 125 years, we've brought new products and
technologies to the world -- in nutrition, diagnostics, medical
devices and branded generic pharmaceuticals -- that create more
possibilities for more people at all stages of life. Today, 74,000
of us are working to help people live not just longer, but better,
in the more than 150 countries we serve.
Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and
@AbbottGlobal.
References
1.
Sriram K et al. J Parenter Enteral Nutr JPEN. 2016;
40(1):1
2. Coats KG et
al. J Am Diet Assoc. 1993; 93:27–33.
3. Thomas DR et
al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002; 75: 308-313.
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SOURCE Abbott