At a glance
ClinicalIndex Comparison Record- ✓Age >64 years
- ✓Admitted to a skilled nursing facility (TCU)
- ✕Terminal disease or end-stage organ failure on palliative care
Standardized by ClinicalIndex from the ClinicalTrials.gov record · verify against the source.
Manifestations, Causes, and Consequences of PEU in Elderly TCU Residents
In Brief
An observational study for Aging. Completed, enrolled 446 participants across 1 site.
Detailed Summary
Background: There is tremendous controversy regarding the adequacy/effectiveness of the nutritional care provided in VA Transitional Care Units (TCUs). The interrelationship between concurrent inflammatory disease, the adequacy of a resident's nutrient consumption, the development or resolution of putative nutritional deficits, and clinical outcomes is not established. Given the known obstacles to increasing nutrient intake (e.g. cost, resident acceptance, associated morbidity) and the lack of proven effectiveness of all forms of nutrition support and nutritional supplementation to improve clinical outcomes, a better understanding of these interrelationships is needed and will be the focus of this study. Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to determine how best to define nutritional risk (i.e., risk for adverse clinical outcomes due to inadequate nutrient intake) among older VA TCU residents. As part of this objective, we will seek to develop a better understanding of the interrelationship between nutrient intake, weight change, serum concentration of albumins, health status/illness severity, and mortality. The secondary objective is to develop a prediction model for identifying which TCU residents are likely to have ongoing problems with low nutrient intake. The ultimate objective is to develop a clinically useful system to identify residents who are likely to benefit from specific interventions aimed at improving nutritional risk.