3 out of 4 hospital patients suffer from malnutrition regardless of their...( This release is available in Gabr...)

This release is available in Spanish.

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 Tmer and led by researchers M Dolores Ruiz Lpez and Antonio Prez 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.

Lobo Tmer highlighted that her study showed that 75% of patients are already undernourished when admitted, although 40-50% of analysed subjects condition worsened while staying at the hospital, depending on the department they were admitted to.

Hospital stay and treatment costs

This study also revealed, for the first time, how much it costs to the Public Administration both hospital stay and treatment for each patient. The average is between 3,500 and 6,000 (only for food and medication) . Hospital staff, diagnoses, fungibles, etc. are not taken into account). Oncology and Hematology being the most resource-
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