The Nutritional Status and the Clinical Outcomes of Patients With a Spinal Cord Injury Using Nutritional Screening Tools

Objective To assess the nutritional status of Korean patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), identify the predictors of undernutrition, and investigate the relationship between undernutrition and clinical outcomes. Methods A retrospective study design was used to determine the nutritional status of...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ji Cheol Shin, Shin Hye Chang, Sang Won Hwang, Jae Joong Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Korean Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine 2018-08-01
Series:Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.e-arm.org/upload/pdf/arm-2018-42-4-591.pdf
Description
Summary:Objective To assess the nutritional status of Korean patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), identify the predictors of undernutrition, and investigate the relationship between undernutrition and clinical outcomes. Methods A retrospective study design was used to determine the nutritional status of 130 patients over 19 years old admitted to the rehabilitation hospital of Yonsei University Health System between June 2015 and February 2017. The nutritional status was assessed using the malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST) and the spinal nutrition screening tool (SNST). The relationship between undernutrition and clinical outcomes was examined by comparing a low-risk group with an at-risk group using a t-test. Results Among the SCI patients, 70 (50.8%) were confirmed with undernutrition based on the MUST scores, while 60 (46.2%) had undernutrition based on the SNST scores. It was found that undernutrition has an effect on functional outcomes. Conclusion We assessed the undernutrition risk in Korean SCI patients, and found that approximately 50% of the patients were at risk of undernutrition. We also found that undernutrition can affect functional recovery.
ISSN:2234-0645
2234-0653