EFFECTS OF INDIRECT NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTION BY A REGISTERED DIETITIAN THROUGH VISITING NURSES IN NUTRITIONALLY AT-RISK OLDER HOME-CARE RECIPIENTS: A RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY

Objectives: Home-visit nutritional support services by registered dietitians for home-care patients are not popular due to a shortage of visiting registered dietitians. This study examined the effects of indirect nutritional intervention by a registered dietitian through visiting nurses in community-dwelling older home-care recipients. Design: A randomized, open-label, controlled clinical trial. Setting: Community. Participants: Thirty-four nutritionally at-risk older home-care recipients aged 65 years or older who were receiving home-visit nursing care services. Intervention: Dietary counseling promoting highly varied food intake provided by visiting nurses trained by a registered dietitian. Measurements: Nutritional status based on the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA®-SF), dietary variety, anthropometric measurements, activities of daily living, and subjective diet-related quality of life were measured at baseline and after three months. Results: Nutritional status tended to improve in the intervention group (P = 0.087). Analysis of the changes of MNA®-SF item scores revealed significant improvement in “Appetite loss” (P = 0.046) and a trend toward improvement in “Weight loss” (P = 0.053) in the intervention group. Conclusion: Indirect nutritional intervention by a registered dietitian through visiting nurses was effective in improving the nutritional status of nutritionally at-risk older home-care recipients.