Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition· 2026Q2
Early dietitian‐led nutrition intervention and unplanned intensive care unit transfer in hospitalized adults with nutritional risk: A retrospective cohort study
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- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Early dietitian-led nutrition intervention within 72 hours of admission reduced unplanned ICU transfers by 12% (OR 0.88) and major GI events by 11% (OR 0.89) in hospitalized adults at nutritional risk (n=32,838 pairs).
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Key points
- Early dietitian-led nutrition intervention (within 72h) was associated with a 12% lower odds of unplanned ICU transfer (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.77-0.99).
- The intervention was also linked to an 11% lower odds of major gastrointestinal events (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.80-0.99).
- Patients receiving early intervention had higher odds of a clinically meaningful reduction in C-reactive protein (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.11-1.27).
- The study analyzed 16,419 pairs of patients from a Chinese tertiary hospital (2016-2023) with Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 scores ≥3.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Malnutrition and nutritional risk are common among inpatients and are associated with adverse outcomes. Although dietitian-led individualized nutrition intervention is recommended, evidence from routine practice among non-critically ill inpatients remains limited. We aimed to evaluate the association between early dietitian-led nutrition intervention and deterioration-related outcomes among adults at nutritional risk. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using electronic medical records from a Chinese tertiary hospital (2016-2023). Adults aged 18-90 years with Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 scores ≥3 were included; patients directly admitted to intensive care unit were excluded. Patients receiving early dietitian-led nutrition intervention within 72 h after hospital admission were propensity score matched 1:1 to comparators. Outcomes were unplanned intensive care unit transfer, major gastrointestinal events after admission, and predefined clinically meaningful changes in laboratory indicators. Associations were estimated using logistic regression and reported as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Among 96,532 eligible patients, 16,661 (17.3%) received early dietitian-led nutrition intervention. After matching, 16,419 pairs were analyzed. Early dietitian-led nutrition intervention was associated with lower odds of intensive care unit transfer (3.0% vs. 3.4%; OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.77-0.99), major gastrointestinal events (4.0% vs. 4.4%; OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.80-0.99), and higher odds of clinically meaningful reduction in C-reactive protein (12.6% vs. 10.9%; OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.11-1.27). CONCLUSION: Early dietitian-led nutrition intervention was associated with lower odds of deterioration-related outcomes among hospitalized adults at nutritional risk. Limited early dietitian involvement despite routine nutritional risk screening suggests an implementation gap and warrants further prospective evaluation.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Nutrition and Dietetics
Nutrition and DieteticsNursing