Institute of Nursing Science, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2020 Apr;20(4):348-353. doi: 10.1111/ggi.13885. Epub 2020 Feb 9.
To assess the relationship of malnutrition risk and in-hospital falls in a patient group of older hospitalized patients (65-79 and ≥80 years).
A cross-sectional, multicenter, point-prevalence study was conducted in 68 Austrian hospitals with 3702 hospitalized older patients. The relationship between malnutrition risk and falls was analyzed using univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses. Data were analyzed separately for two age groups, patients were aged 65-79 years (n = 2320) and ≥80 years (n = 1382).
Prevalence of hospital-acquired falls was 5.2%, and prevalence of risk of malnutrition was 24.3% (Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool) and 16.2% (definition using body mass index and weight loss). The univariate analysis showed significant associations of malnutrition risk and in-hospital falls for patients aged ≥80 years (odds ratio 2.1; 95% confidence interval 1.2-3.6) but not for patients aged 65-79 years. The multivariate logistic regression analysis did not show significant associations between malnutrition risk and hospital-acquired falls.
The results of this study show that malnutrition risk is a predictor for in-hospital falls in very old patients (≥80 years). In this patient group, the screening and assessment of nutritional status as well as nutritional interventions for the prevention/treatment of malnutrition risk should be considered as one important factor for successful fall prevention. Studies are necessary to assess the effect of nutritional interventions as part of a multifaceted fall-prevention program. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 348-353.
评估营养不良风险与住院老年患者（65-79 岁和≥80 岁）院内跌倒之间的关系。
本横断面、多中心、时点患病率研究在奥地利的 68 家医院进行，纳入 3702 例住院老年患者。使用单变量和多变量二元逻辑回归分析来分析营养不良风险与跌倒之间的关系。分别对两个年龄组（年龄 65-79 岁的患者 n=2320 和≥80 岁的患者 n=1382）进行数据分析。
医院获得性跌倒的患病率为 5.2%，营养不良风险的患病率为 24.3%（营养不良通用筛查工具）和 16.2%（使用体重指数和体重减轻定义）。单变量分析显示，≥80 岁患者的营养不良风险与院内跌倒显著相关（优势比 2.1；95%置信区间 1.2-3.6），但 65-79 岁患者无此相关性。多变量逻辑回归分析未显示营养不良风险与医院获得性跌倒之间存在显著相关性。
本研究结果表明，营养不良风险是非常老年患者（≥80 岁）院内跌倒的一个预测因素。在该患者群体中，应考虑筛查和评估营养状况以及营养干预措施，以预防/治疗营养不良风险，这是成功预防跌倒的一个重要因素。有必要开展研究评估营养干预措施作为多方面跌倒预防计划的一部分的效果。
