After implementing a nutrition care program for malnourished surgical patients, Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care hospitals saw a nearly 50 percent reduction in readmission rates, a study published in The Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition found.
To ensure their patients are nourished during their hospital stay and after discharge, Advocate Health Care put a nutrition care program in place at four of its Chicago area hospitals. The research explored how nutrition care affected at-risk or malnourished medical and surgical patients.
The researchers found that the over 300 malnourished surgical patients who received nutrition care had reduced hospital readmission rates by nearly 50 percent (after 30 days of being discharged) and reduced the average hospital stay by 2.7 days.
''Driven by a commitment to achieve better outcomes at lower cost, our health system's embrace of a relatively modest nutrition care program could have wide-reaching implications for surgical patients across the country,'' said principal study investigator Krishnan Sriram, MD. ''By prioritizing nutrition, care providers can significantly enhance the recovery process and deliver better value for patients and their families.''