Nutritional care needs and received among older patients admitted to medical wards in Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Khean University

Abstract

This descriptive study aimed to investigate nutritional care needs and received among hospitalized older people admitted to the internal medicine wards in Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University. Orem’s nursing theory was applied as the conceptual framework of the study. Sample consisted of 214 hospitalized older people admitted to the internal medicine wards of Srinagarind Hospital. Data collection were carried out between May 2020 and October 2022.

The research instruments consisted of 1) screening tools, comprising The Abbreviated Mental Test and The Two Question Depression Screening Questionnaire and 2) Data collection tools, including 2.1) A General Data Record Form comprising health data, such as body mass index, nutritional risk assessed with the Nutrition Alert Form, and the Barthel Activities of Daily Living; and 2.2) a nutritional care need and received questionnaire for hospitalized older people, which developed by the researcher based on literature review and the concept of European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. The research tools were verified by five experts, obtaining content validity index of 0.93. Reliability test revealed that Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient of the nutritional care need questionnaire, and the nutritional care received questionnaire were 0.88, and 0.91, respectively. Descriptive data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Comparison of the differences between nutritional care needs and received among the older people were analyzed, utilizing Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test.

The study revealed that majority of the older people had the highest overall nutritional needs with an average score of 4.55±0. 25. Most older people received nutritional care at a high level, with an average of 3.96±0.19. The highest level of nutritional care needs was ‘assessment before eating’ aspect, While ‘giving assistance before/during/after meals’ aspect was the highest level of nutritional care received. In addition, ‘eating environment’ was the lowest nutritional care received. Comparison of hospitalized older people’s nutritional care needs and received indicated two aspects that nutritional care needs were not different from those care received, namely, meal times (p=1.00) and giving assistance before/during/after meals (p=0.081). Seven dimensions, that nutritional care needs statistically significantly higher than nutritional care received (p<.001), were assessment before meals, care for symptoms affecting diet, food menu for each meal, characteristics of the food provided, arrangement of eating utensils, eating environment, and advice.

The results of this study show that although the older people received care at a high level, it is still insufficient to meet their needs. Personnel as well as care institutions should increase the levels of care to fulfill nutritional care needs of hospitalized older people, especially providing good eating environment.