HNC Statement in Support of ASPEN’s Publication: Malnutrition Diagnoses and Associated Outcomes in Hospitalized Patients: United States, 2018
November 11, 2021
HNC Statement in Support of ASPEN’s Publication: Malnutrition Diagnoses and Associated Outcomes in Hospitalized Patients: United States, 2018
The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition has published a study, Malnutrition Diagnoses and Associated Outcomes in Hospitalized Patients: United States, 2018[i] examining data on malnutrition discharges from the 2018 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). The Healthcare Nutrition Council (HNC) applauds this publication, as it emphasizes the need to accurately identify malnutrition among hospitalized patients and pay particular attention to racial and ethnic health disparities associated with malnutrition. The study found that, in the United States in 2018, 8.9% of all hospital discharges had a coded diagnosis of malnutrition (CDM). Additionally, patients with a CDM were significantly older than those without, Black patients and those of the “Other” race category were more frequent in the CDM group, and more patients with a CDM fell in the lowest income quartile. These study findings provide further evidence of the immediate need to address health disparities based on social risk factors and race and ethnicity. HNC is committed to addressing the significant and persistent inequities in healthcare outcomes in the United States, and the important role nutritional status plays in health outcomes and healthcare costs.
[i] Guenter P, Abdelhadi R, Anthony P, et al. Malnutrition diagnoses and associated outcomes in hospitalized patients: United States, 2018. Nutrition in Clinical Practice. 2021;36:957–969. https://doi.org/10.1002/ncp.10771