Table 2.
Patient Characteristics at Hospital Admission Based on Malnutrition Diagnosis
| Malnutrition Diagnosis (n = 594) | Negative (n = 410) | Positivea (n = 184) | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male/female, n | 189/221 | 87/97 | .79c |
| Male/female, % | 46/54 | 47/53 | – |
| Age, yearsb | 61 ± 15 | 66 ± 15 | .0005d |
| Length of stay, days2 | 3.5 ± 4.0 | 4.8 ± 3.8 | <.0001d |
| 30‐day hospital readmission, yes/no | 25/385 (6%) | 26/158 (14%) | .0023c |
| Palliative care, yes/no, n | 7/403 (2%) | 13/171 (7%) | .002c |
| Hospice, yes/no, n | 11/399 (3%) | 16/168 (9%) | .002c |
| Life ratio, deceased/lived, n | 46/364 (11%) | 67/117 (36%) | <.0001c |
| Positive Malnutrition Diagnosis (n = 184) | Moderate Malnutrition | Severe Malnutrition | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male/female, n | 29/30 | 58/67 | .75c |
| Male/female, % | 49/51 | 46/54 | – |
| Age, years | 67 ± 16 | 66 ± 15 | .63e |
| Length of stay, days | 4.5 ± 3.4 | 5.0 ± 4.0 | .54d |
| 30‐day hospital readmission, yes/no | 8/51 (4%) | 18/107 (14%) | 1.00c |
| Palliative Care, yes/no, n | 5/54 (8%) | 8/117 (6%) | .76c |
| Hospice, yes/no, n | 3/56 (5%) | 13/112 (10%) | .28c |
| Life ratio, deceased/lived, n | 15/44 (25%) | 52/73 (36%) | .03c |
a
A positive malnutrition diagnosis refers to the patients that were diagnosed with moderate or severe malnutrition per the nutrition assessment.
b
Age and length of stay values are means ± SD.
c
Fishers’ exact test.
d
Kruskal‐Wallis test.
e
Two‐sample t‐test.