Nutritional status study of inpatients in hospitals of Galicia

Objective: To know the prevalence of malnutrition and to validate a nutritional screening protocol (SP) in patients hospitalised in Hospitals representative of inpatients admitted for acute illnesses in Galicia. Design: Cross-sectional study of 376 randomised patients (189 female, 210 ⩾65 y old) from 12 public hospitals admitted to hospital for acute medical, surgical or trauma illnesses. The patients elicited were evaluated by a simple SP, including variables relative to recent weight changes, serum albumin, lymphocytes, food ingestion and diagnosis at admission (Cardona's Protocol), and with a diagnostic protocol (DP, Subjective Global Assessment). Both SP and DP were performed by personnel trained in nutritional evaluation. Results of SP and DP were compared; principal factors related to malnutrition were also analysed; statistical significance was considered at P