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Objective: COVID-19 increases risk of malnutrition. With proper nutritional management, clinical outcomes are more positive but nutritional management is often overlooked. Aim of our study is to determine competences and attitudes of internal medicine research assistants working in COVID-19 services in terms of nutritional management and the factors that may affect this. Materials and Methods: A 12-question survey was applied to internal medicine research assistants worked/still working in the inpatient service and intensive care units where COVID-19 patients were followed up. Their competences and attitudes about nutrition were learned. Results: A hundred research assistants participated in the study. Ratio of those who considered their knowledge sufficient about nutrition management was 48% (n=48), enteral nutrition was 62% (n=62) and parenteral nutrition was 55% (n=55). There were 92 (92%) research assistants who thought that nutrition was a problem in COVID-19 patients, however there are only 6 (6%) research assistants who have read publications on nutritional management in COVID-19 patients. Research assistants who have performed intensive care or geriatrics rotation stated themselves more competent in nutrition (p = 0.001 & p

We aimed to find out whether the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) can predict mortality up to 7 years when compared with the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Long Form (MNA-LF) in geriatric outpatients.This retrospective study was conducted in patients (≥65 years) who were admitted to the geriatric outpatient clinic of a university hospital. MNA-SF and MNA-LF results were available for all patients. Patients were grouped as normal nutrition status (score 12-14), at risk of malnutrition (score between 8 and 11), or malnourished (score ≤7) according to MNA-SF. Based on MNA-LF, patients had normal nutrition status (score ≥24), were at risk of malnutrition (score 17-23.5), or were malnourished (score17). Survival of the patients was assessed retrospectively.The study included 209 patients (62.2% female). During the 7-year follow-up, 77 (36.8%) patients died. After adjusting for age, sex, and Charlson comorbidity index, MNA-SF was significantly associated with all-cause mortality during 6-month, 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, and 7-year follow-up time. MNA-LF was superior to MNA-SF to estimate 6-month (P = 0.004) and 1-year mortality (P = 0.031). There was no difference between MNA-SF and MNA-LF regarding 3-year, 5-year, and 7-year mortality.MNA-SF can predict short-term and long-term mortality in geriatric outpatients as well as MNA-LF. A cut-off value of 11, indicating risk of malnutrition according to MNA-SF, may be used for the risk estimation of 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year mortality. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of screening all geriatric outpatients for malnutrition and especially the risk of malnutrition for early intervention and treatment.

Geriatrician numbers are increasing year by year in Turkey. We aimed to obtain information on licensed geriatricians, trainees, and board of directors of the societies in Turkey and compare this information with other countries' data.The study was conducted as a cross-sectional study. The gender, institution, and title of licensed geriatricians and trainees were documented by scanning websites of university, training and research, state hospitals, and the website of Academic Geriatrics Association. Information about the board of directors of the societies was obtained from the websites of the societies. The last day for data inclusion was August 31, 2021.There were 90 licensed geriatricians and 77 trainees in Turkey as of 31 August 2021. While 52.2% (n = 47) of licensed geriatricians were female, the ratio of females among trainees was 76.6% (n = 59). The ratio of females among trainees was statistically higher than licensed geriatricians (p = 0.001). Females constitute 88.9% of the board of directors of the Academic Geriatrics Association and this ratio was higher than the ratio of females on the board of directors of local and international journals.Best of our knowledge, our study is the first to examine the gender distribution in geriatrics. The dominance of females in geriatrics is very important in countries where geriatrics is relatively newly established as even countries with a deep-rooted history and structure in geriatrics are trying to increase the number of female geriatricians under their new administrations.

In the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the difficulties in patients’ applications to health centres, changes have occurred in the places of death of older adults. It is aimed to investigate the change in the places of death of older adults in Turkey, which is one of the countries most affected by the pandemic. Patients admitted to the geriatric outpatient clinic of a university hospital from 01.01.2013 to 29.02.2020 were included. Place and date of death were recorded as hospital or out-of-hospital death. According to results, while the median age of those who died during the pandemic was higher than before ( p < 0.001) and during the pandemic, the hospital mortality ratio was higher than before. During the pandemic period, the hospital mortality ratio of older adults has increased in Turkey. This situation, which has occurred despite the increasing healthcare burden, can show the importance of the measures taken and robust health infrastructure.

This study aimed to provide data about the role of muscle ultrasound (US) to predict sarcopenia.A total of 313 geriatric outpatients (age ≥65 y) were enrolled in the study. After a comprehensive geriatric assessment, anthropometric measurement and handgrip strength (HGS) data were obtained and a bioelectrical impedance analysis was performed. Sarcopenia was diagnosed using HGS and bioelectrical impedance analysis data. Gastrocnemius medialis (GC), rectus femoris (RF), and rectus abdominis (RA) muscle thickness as well as the RF cross-sectional area (CSA) were measured with US. The role of muscle US to predict sarcopenia was defined with a receiver operating characteristics analysis.The prevalence of probable and confirmed sarcopenia were 43.8% (n = 137) and 13.4% (n = 42), respectively. All muscle US parameters had positive correlations with both HGS and the fat-free mass index. There were inverse correlations between all muscle US parameters and the five-item sarcopenia questionnaire. The RF CSA had stronger correlations with the five-item sarcopenia questionnaire, HGS, and the fat-free mass index than others. The values of GC, RF, and RA muscle thickness and the RF CSA to predict sarcopenia for women/men were 13.9/13.8 mm (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.817/0.707 mm), 13/15.5 mm (AUC: 0.760/0.736 mm), 4.3/5.2 cmGC, RF, and RA muscle thickness and the RF CSA all may predict sarcopenia accurately in geriatric outpatients.