Effect of changed organisation of nutritional care of Danish medical inpatients

Table 2 Characteristics of patients participating in the questionnaire survey

Variable\Patient group	A n = 30	B n = 25	C n = 20
Sex, female/male	18/12	14/11	10/10
Age, years on average (min.; max.)	70(46;89)	76(55;91)	69(55;87)
Length of stay as of the date of the interview*, days on average	11.6	13.2	13.1
Mobility-impaired patients**, (%)	19 (63)	11 (44)	15 (75)
Patients who believe to know their own body weight, (%)	25 (83)	22 (88)	17 (85)
- Patients who have experienced unwanted weight loss recently, (%)	18 (60)	12 (48)	16 (80)
- Patients who remember having experienced weight loss over a period of time, (%)	12 (40)	5 (20)	12 (60)
- Average weight loss according to the patients' own assessments, grams/day***	197	168	134
Patients who have spoken with other staff members about weight loss, (%)	11 (61)	5 (42)	6 (38)

* The total length of stay is not known, as the patients were interviewed during their stay.
** Patients who are bedfast, confined to a wheelchair or walking-impaired.
***If the patient has had unwanted weight loss, the patient is asked how many kilograms over the number of days.
Before and during the intervention the following patients participate; Group A: patients who are admitted before the nutritional and health assistant is employed on the ward. Group B: patients who are admitted during the employment period of the nutritional and healthcare assistant but not receiving her nutritional care. Group C: patients who are receiving nutritional care from the nutritional and healthcare assistant during their entire or part of their stay at the hospital.

ISSN: 1472-6963