TITLE:
Elderly Feeding and Nutrition during Hospitalization: An Integrative Review
AUTHORS:
José Baudilio Belzarez Guedez, Maria Helena Lenardt, Clovis Cechinel, João Alberto Martins Rodrigues, Daiane Maria da Silva Marques, Maria Angelica Binotto
KEYWORDS:
Aged, Inpatient, Elderly Nutrition, Hospitalization
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.13 No.11,
November
16,
2023
ABSTRACT: Objective: to search
in the current literature the elements that exert an influence on feeding and
nutrition in hospitalized aged people. Method:
the following strategies were used for the integrative review stages: research
question (Population or Patients; Exposure; Outcomes); analysis flowchart (Preferred
Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses); and levels of
evidence corresponding to the studies (Oxford
Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine). The
searches were conducted in the MEDLINE/PubMed, Biblioteca
Virtual em Saúde, Embase, CINAHL and Scopus databases. Results: the initial
search yielded 1808 studies, of which 34 comprised the analysis corpus after
applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The assessments corresponding to nutritional status and to the risk factors for hospitalized aged people are
fundamental in defining the diet. An association was found between inadequate
energy intake, lack of appetite, infections, malignity, delirium and need for assistance in feeding. Dysphagia affected
nutritional status and was associated with multimorbidities, cognitive
impairment, malnutrition, higher dependence for the activities of daily living,
and greater care need. Nutritional support improved the perioperative
nutritional status, in addition to reducing the hospitalization times and the
number of infectious complications. Conclusion:
the main disorder that hinders meeting the nutritional needs is dysphagia, and
is associated with aged people’s multimorbidity and dependence. The results
provide geriatric and gerontological knowledge about elderly nutrition, in
addition to targeting preventive and intervention treatments and care during
hospitalization.