A study conducted in the Department of Nutrition and Bromatology at the University of Granada has found that, although hospitals have resources to prevent malnutrition, the pathology itself and the inappropriate use of hospital resources cause patients to be undernourished.
The study, which was carried out in a total of 817 patients from the hospital Virgen de las Nieves (Granada, Spain), showed that each patient admitted cost an average between 3,500 € and 6,500 € to the Public Administration.
UGR News A study of 817 patients conducted in the Department of Nutrition and Bromatology at the University of Granada (UGR), in collaboration with the Unit of Nutrition and Dietetics at the hospital Virgen de las Nieves (Granada, Spain) of 817 patients, showed that 75% of hospitalised patients suffer from malnutrition regardless of their pathology. The study, which was carried out in patients older than 18 in all the departments of the hospital except Psychiatry and Ophthalmology, showed that, although hospitals have enough resources to prevent malnutrition, it is caused due to the poor administration of resources and the lack of importance given to nutrition.
The study, which was carried out by Gabriela Lobo Támer and led by researchers Mª Dolores Ruiz López and Antonio Pérez de la Cruz, analysed a series of biochemical parameters defining the nutritional status, such as albumin — a protein found in blood plasma that synthesizes in the liver. Thus, 75% of patients analysed had less than 3.5 grams of this protein per volume of blood (milliliter) — the minimum to consider that patients are well nourished.