Effect of nurse-led intensive nutritional intervention on nutritional risk, undernutrition and quality of life in hospitalized patients with Alzheimer disease: A randomized controlled study / 中华临床营养杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the effect of nurse-led intensive nutritional intervention on nutritional risk,undernutrition and quality of life in hospitalized Alzheimer disease (AD) patients.Methods A total of 170 hospitalized AD patients who met the criteria of the protocol were enrolled and divided randomly into two groups as study group (n=86) and control group (n=84).The two groups received nurse-led intensive nutritional intervention and routine nutritional management respectively for six weeks.Nutritional risk,undernutrition and quality of life were measured by nutritional risk screening 2002 (NRS 2002) and quality of life-Alzheimer disease scale before and after the nutritional intervention.Results There was no significant difference in baseline data between the two groups.The suitable rate of NRS 2002 was 100％.After a 6-week intervention,the prevalence of nutritional risk (41.9％ vs.70.9％,P＜0.001) and undernutrition (17.4％ vs.30.2％,P =0.049) decreased significantly in study group.The prevalence of nutritional risk was significantly lower in study group than in control group (41.9％ vs.64.3％,P=0.003).The score of quality of life in study group significantly increased (34.12±5.91 vs.31.56±6.80,P=0.028) after the intervention,and was significantly higher than that of the control group (34.12±5.91 vs.31.63± 6.22,P=0.030).Conclusion The application of nurse-led intensive nutritional intervention can help to improve the nutritional status and quality of life in hospitalized AD patients.