부산대학교 도서관

Introduction: Malnutrition in hospitalised patients is a problem that is frequently observed all around the world. Malnutrition in hospitalised patients is related to poor patient outcomes and high healthcare expenditures. The purpose of this study is to assess the nutrition risk and explore the associated risk factors of malnutrition among hospitalised patient. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in Sarawak General Hospital located in Kuching, Sarawak using convenience sampling among adult aged 18 and above. The Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) was used to assess the nutritional risk. Demographic characteristics, anthropometric and biochemical data were compared according to nutritional status. The chi-square test was performed to compare the differences between categorical variables. The risk factors of malnutrition were identified using logistic regression analysis. Result: A total of 207 respondents were involved in this study with 63.3% and 36.7% were male and female, respectively. Malnutrition risk was observed in 61.3% of respondents according to MST score. The malnutrition risk was significantly higher in older age, those who were admitted to oncology wards and those with lower BMI and impaired biochemical profile. Multivariate analysis revealed that age and BMI of less than 18.5 kg/m2 were the main factors contributing to the presence of risk of malnutrition. Conclusion: The risk of malnutrition is observed to be prevalent among hospitalised patients in Sarawak General Hospital. Therefore, it is important to have a routine nutritional screening and assessment to allow for early nutritional intervention and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]