Pilot of a randomised controlled trial of nutrition screening and appropriate support in hospitalised elderly

INTERVENTION: All consenting patients will be screened using the Malnutrition Screening Tool. Patients randomised to the intervention group will be triaged according to Malnutrition Screening Tool score. Those intervention patients who score less than 2 on the Malnutrition Screening Tool will be provided with the NHMRC dietary guidelines only; those who are screened as "at risk", that is who have a Malnutrition Screening Tool score of 2 to 5, will be referred to a dietitian for Subjective Global Assessment, and, if assessed as malnourished, will be offered multi‐disciplinary intervention co‐ordinated by a Nutrition Support Person employed by the study, and involving a team of dietitians, social workers, clinical nurse consultants, geriatricians, oral health professionals, speech pathologists, physiotherapists and pharmacists; those who are screened as malnourished, that is who have a Malnutrition Screening Tool score of 6 or more, will be immediately offered multi‐disciplinary nutrition support. “Best practice” nutritional care for the latter two groups of patients will be based on the recent Clinical Standards for Food, Fluid and Nutritional Care in Hospitals from Scotland. Intervention will occur during the hospital stay, which is estimated to be up to about 2 weeks, with follow‐up at 6 months after discharge. CONDITION: Malnutrition PRIMARY OUTCOME: Nutrition level as measured by Patient Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG‐SGA) SECONDARY OUTCOME: Lean Body Mass Readmission to hospital INCLUSION CRITERIA: Are admitted to the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, NSW.