MEDPass Trial: medPass Versus Conventional Administration of Oral Nutritional Supplements

Disease related malnutrition (DRM) in hospitalized patients is a common problem.The oral nutritional support with ONS is one of the first and most common treatment approach in the patients at nutritional risk. Treatment with ONS may reduce mortality and complications in hospitalized patients. There are no standards on the type of administration of ONS in terms of timing throughout the day leading to individual approaches. ONS are conventionally served as snacks by nurses, nursing aids or gastronomy personnel between the main meals. The MEDPass‐mode offers a different approach by serving ONS together with the medication, three or four times per day, in unusually small portions. Preliminary trials suggest that compliance and cost effectiveness may be improved with the MEDPass‐mode. Enhancing compliance to ONS may not consequently lead to improved total energy and protein intake throughout the day. There has never been a large trial in which total energy‐ and protein intake of the subjects was studied consequently and systematically throughout the hospitalization. Therefore, this trial will bridge this gap by studying total energy‐ and protein intake as primary outcomes.