Frecuencia de riesgo de desnutrición según la Escala de Tamizado para Desnutrición (MST) en un servicio de Medicina Interna

Viviana Cruz ^[1] ; Laura Bernal ^[2] ; Giancarlo Buitrago ^[1] ; Álvaro J Ruiz ^[1]
1. [1] Pontífica Universidad Javeriana
  
  Pontífica Universidad Javeriana
  
  Colombia
2. [2] Hospital Universitario San Ignacio
  
  Hospital Universitario San Ignacio
  
  Colombia
Localización: Revista Médica de Chile, ISSN-e 0034-9887, Vol. 145, Nº. 4, 2017, págs. 449-457
Idioma: español
Títulos paralelos:
- Screening for malnutrition among hospitalized patients in a Colombian University Hospital
Enlaces
- Texto completo

Resumen
- Background: On admission, 30 to 50% of hospitalized patients have some degree of malnutrition, which is associated with longer length of stay, higher rates of complications, mortality and greater costs. Aim: To determine the frequency of screening for risk of malnutrition in medical records and assess the usefulness of the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST). Material and Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we searched for malnutrition screening in medical records, and we applied the MST tool to hospitalized patients at the Internal Medicine Wards of San Ignacio University Hospital. Results: Of 295 patients included, none had been screened for malnutrition since hospital admission. Sixty one percent were at nutritional risk, with a higher prevalence among patients with HIV (85.7%), cancer (77.5%) and pneumonia. A positive MST result was associated with a 3.2 days increase in length of hospital stay (p = 0.024). Conclusions: The prevalence of malnutrition risk in hospitalized patients is high, but its screening is inadequate and it is underdiagnosed. The MST tool is simple, fast, low-cost, and has a good diagnostic performance.