Nutritional problems of hospitalized patients. A preliminary survey

Of sixty-seven adult, non-selected patients admitted to the medical wards of two New York City teaching hospitals over a six-week period, 91 per cent were found to have overt or potential nutritional problems of clinical significance. While they usually received sophisticated diagnostic studies and complex drug therapy, their nutritional needs, for the most part, were not given comparable attention. Major examples of nutritional neglect included failure to: Obtain a dietary history when indicated; record body weight on admission and at appropriate intervals thereafter, ascertain "relative weight" or some similar measure of deviation from a desirable standard; provide appropriate dietary management, including nutrient supplements; and furnish nutritional counseling. At no time was a dietary history obtained by a dietitian, and no plans were made at discharge for follow-up nutritional care.