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Affects on timeliness of dietitian assessment in acute care: Nutrition screening in acute care related to hospital length of stay and timing of dietitian assessment
Author(s) -
DeGarie Danielle,
Gonzales Dana,
Hays Nicholas,
Hakkak Reza
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.989.3
Subject(s) - referral , medicine , audit , risk assessment , acute care , emergency medicine , family medicine , health care , computer security , management , computer science , economics , economic growth
Objective To understand the relationship between two nutrition screening tools, timeliness of dietitian (RD) assessment, and length of hospital stay (HLOS). Methods A sample of 606 patients admitted to an acute care facility from a database of chart audits was analyzed. Descriptive statistics of timeliness of RD assessment and HLOS were conducted. Nutrition screening tools were compared using a t‐test to evaluate differences in referral rates, patients screened at risk, and timeliness of RD assessment. Results There was significant difference in patients screened at risk between tools (38.4% vs. 24.4%). In patients screened at risk, there was no significant association between tools and rate of referral or in day of RD assessment. Patients who were screened at risk and referred to were seen 1.97 days earlier than those not referred. There was no significant difference observed in HLOS comparing screening tools or based on RD referral in at risk patients. Conclusion Dietitian referral was shown to have the greatest impact on timeliness of RD assessment independent of the type of screening tool used. The screening tool that more closely resembled a previously validated tool showed more patients at risk but did not influence whether or not a referral was made. Continual evaluation of screening and referral practices is needed. Supported by Department of Dietetics and Nutrition.