Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized patients aged 18 years old or older at the time of admission in Korea.Methods: This multi-center, preliminary survey included patients over 18 years old who were admitted on a given day from six hospitals in Korea. Nutritional status was assessed using Subjective Global Assessment tool. Data collected included hospital characteristics, patient characteristics, nutrition screening, and nutrition assessment.Results: Among the 99 patients recruited (47 males, 47.5%), 18 (18.2%) and 2 (2.0%) patients were moderately malnourished and severely malnourished, respectively. The mean age of the malnourished group was older than that of the well-nourished group (49.7±17.1 vs. 60.5±13.6 years old, P-value=0.010). Patients admitted for medical treatment were more malnourished than those admitted for surgical treatment. Conclusion: Results of the multi-center preliminary survey showed 20.2% prevalence of malnutrition on admission. A national survey was piloted and will be followed by full implementation.

• Keywords: Malnutrition, Prevalence, Inpatients, Multi-center, Korea