The impact of polypharmacy and oral nutritional supplementation on nutritional status in patients residing in a long-term care facility

IntroductionNutritional disorders and polypharmacy are among the most important problems facing the older adults in long-term care facilities. Polypharmacy negatively affects the nutritional status of the older adults. The use of specific drugs should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and a new...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lucyna Ścisło, Judyta Pluta, Anna Kliś-Kalinowska, Michał Górski, Marta Buczkowska
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Nutrition
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1516103/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849423202647801856
author Lucyna Ścisło
Judyta Pluta
Anna Kliś-Kalinowska
Michał Górski
Marta Buczkowska
author_facet Lucyna Ścisło
Judyta Pluta
Anna Kliś-Kalinowska
Michał Górski
Marta Buczkowska
author_sort Lucyna Ścisło
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionNutritional disorders and polypharmacy are among the most important problems facing the older adults in long-term care facilities. Polypharmacy negatively affects the nutritional status of the older adults. The use of specific drugs should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and a new drug should be introduced with caution. The supply of medications, especially among the older adults, needs more attention and analysis of their effects on nutritional status to avoid potentially dangerous consequences. The purpose of the study was to assess the nutritional status and determine the relationship between the pharmacotherapy used and the nutritional status of patients residing in a long-term care facility.MethodsThe prospective, interventional study with a pre-post design, incorporating a retrospective study included 110 patients residing in a long-term care facility. Nutritional status was assessed before and after the nutritional intervention, which consisted of administering oral nutritional supplements (ONS). The study used the Mini Nutritional Assessment scale, body mass index (BMI), prealbumin, albumin, transferrin, and total lymphocyte count (TLC).ResultsStudies conducted have shown malnutrition in a significant group of patients. The ONS used improved the assessed parameters of nutritional status. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the incidence of malnutrition is significantly influenced by variables such as gender, age, and polypharmacy. Polypharmacy negatively correlates with nutritional status.DiscussionThere is an urgent need to improve nutrition practice and individual assessment of evidence-based pharmacotherapy use among older people, which is crucial to improving the quality of care provided.
format Article
id doaj-art-e6ab0735e8384b22921d03508ce7942e
institution Kabale University
issn 2296-861X
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Nutrition
spelling doaj-art-e6ab0735e8384b22921d03508ce7942e2025-08-20T03:30:44ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Nutrition2296-861X2025-06-011210.3389/fnut.2025.15161031516103The impact of polypharmacy and oral nutritional supplementation on nutritional status in patients residing in a long-term care facilityLucyna Ścisło0Judyta Pluta1Anna Kliś-Kalinowska2Michał Górski3Marta Buczkowska4Institute of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum, Kraków, PolandInstitute of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum, Kraków, PolandInstitute of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum, Kraków, PolandDepartment of Occupational Medicine and Health in Department of Chronic Diseases and Civilization-Related Hazards, Faculty of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia, Bytom, PolandDepartment of Occupational Medicine and Health in Department of Chronic Diseases and Civilization-Related Hazards, Faculty of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia, Bytom, PolandIntroductionNutritional disorders and polypharmacy are among the most important problems facing the older adults in long-term care facilities. Polypharmacy negatively affects the nutritional status of the older adults. The use of specific drugs should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and a new drug should be introduced with caution. The supply of medications, especially among the older adults, needs more attention and analysis of their effects on nutritional status to avoid potentially dangerous consequences. The purpose of the study was to assess the nutritional status and determine the relationship between the pharmacotherapy used and the nutritional status of patients residing in a long-term care facility.MethodsThe prospective, interventional study with a pre-post design, incorporating a retrospective study included 110 patients residing in a long-term care facility. Nutritional status was assessed before and after the nutritional intervention, which consisted of administering oral nutritional supplements (ONS). The study used the Mini Nutritional Assessment scale, body mass index (BMI), prealbumin, albumin, transferrin, and total lymphocyte count (TLC).ResultsStudies conducted have shown malnutrition in a significant group of patients. The ONS used improved the assessed parameters of nutritional status. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the incidence of malnutrition is significantly influenced by variables such as gender, age, and polypharmacy. Polypharmacy negatively correlates with nutritional status.DiscussionThere is an urgent need to improve nutrition practice and individual assessment of evidence-based pharmacotherapy use among older people, which is crucial to improving the quality of care provided.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1516103/fullnutritional status assessmentpolypharmacyoral nutritional supplementsolder adultsnutritional status
spellingShingle Lucyna Ścisło
Judyta Pluta
Anna Kliś-Kalinowska
Michał Górski
Marta Buczkowska
The impact of polypharmacy and oral nutritional supplementation on nutritional status in patients residing in a long-term care facility
Frontiers in Nutrition
nutritional status assessment
polypharmacy
oral nutritional supplements
older adults
nutritional status
title The impact of polypharmacy and oral nutritional supplementation on nutritional status in patients residing in a long-term care facility
title_full The impact of polypharmacy and oral nutritional supplementation on nutritional status in patients residing in a long-term care facility
title_fullStr The impact of polypharmacy and oral nutritional supplementation on nutritional status in patients residing in a long-term care facility
title_full_unstemmed The impact of polypharmacy and oral nutritional supplementation on nutritional status in patients residing in a long-term care facility
title_short The impact of polypharmacy and oral nutritional supplementation on nutritional status in patients residing in a long-term care facility
title_sort impact of polypharmacy and oral nutritional supplementation on nutritional status in patients residing in a long term care facility
topic nutritional status assessment
polypharmacy
oral nutritional supplements
older adults
nutritional status
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1516103/full
work_keys_str_mv AT lucynascisło theimpactofpolypharmacyandoralnutritionalsupplementationonnutritionalstatusinpatientsresidinginalongtermcarefacility
AT judytapluta theimpactofpolypharmacyandoralnutritionalsupplementationonnutritionalstatusinpatientsresidinginalongtermcarefacility
AT annakliskalinowska theimpactofpolypharmacyandoralnutritionalsupplementationonnutritionalstatusinpatientsresidinginalongtermcarefacility
AT michałgorski theimpactofpolypharmacyandoralnutritionalsupplementationonnutritionalstatusinpatientsresidinginalongtermcarefacility
AT martabuczkowska theimpactofpolypharmacyandoralnutritionalsupplementationonnutritionalstatusinpatientsresidinginalongtermcarefacility
AT lucynascisło impactofpolypharmacyandoralnutritionalsupplementationonnutritionalstatusinpatientsresidinginalongtermcarefacility
AT judytapluta impactofpolypharmacyandoralnutritionalsupplementationonnutritionalstatusinpatientsresidinginalongtermcarefacility
AT annakliskalinowska impactofpolypharmacyandoralnutritionalsupplementationonnutritionalstatusinpatientsresidinginalongtermcarefacility
AT michałgorski impactofpolypharmacyandoralnutritionalsupplementationonnutritionalstatusinpatientsresidinginalongtermcarefacility
AT martabuczkowska impactofpolypharmacyandoralnutritionalsupplementationonnutritionalstatusinpatientsresidinginalongtermcarefacility