Newly published article - Nutritional status of elderly people living independently in Akureyri and the surrounding area

A new article has been published in the Nurses’ Magazine (see page 72 ).

The authors are: Sandra Ásgrímsdóttir, Laufey Hrólfsdóttir, Berglind Soffía Blöndal and Árún Kristín Sigurðardóttir.

The project was part of Sandra’s master’s thesis and Laufey Hrólfsdóttir was her main instructor.

The results of the study showed that 36% of elderly people living independently who received home nursing in Akureyri had a certain or strong feeling about malnutrition. Malnutrition affects physical and mental health, undernourished individuals live less, get more infections and endure and respond to treatment worse. Hospital stays are longer and re-hospitalizations are much more common in this group compared to well-nourished clients.

How can the results of the study be applied in nursing or in Icelandic healthcare?

It is important to ensure that older people are screened for the risk of malnutrition in accordance with clinical guidelines, as well as to strengthen cooperation between medical institutions and nutritionists with follow-up after discharge.

What knowledge do the results of this study add to nursing?

The results of this study reveal that older people with GAD ≥ 30 are less likely to suffer from malnutrition or are at risk of malnutrition. Therefore it is important to screen all patients, regardless of their body composition.

What impact can the study have on the work of nurses?

Nurses are in a key position to screen older people for risk of malnutrition and continue to use multidisciplinary interventions.