Hospitals to face unannounced inspections over patient nutrition

Hospitals will undergo unannounced inspections as the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) attempts to tackle patient malnutrition and dehydration.

Malnutrition affects more than a quarter of patients admitted to Irish hospitals. It affects their recovery and causes illness and death, said Hiqa chief executive Phelim Quinn.

“Evidence shows that malnutrition and dehydration often occur together. Dehydration occurs when more fluid is lost than taken in. It has been reported that patients already malnourished on admission are more likely to lose weight during their hospital stay, and their weight loss is proportionately higher,” Mr Quinn said.

Under the new review guidelines, all public acute hospitals, other than stand-alone maternity and paediatric hospitals, will be expected to complete a self-assessment questionnaire and submit it to the authority. Hiqa will then carry out unannounced inspections in about 13 hospitals to verify results and understand how nutrition and hydration care in the hospital is delivered.

Older patients, cancer patients, surgical and gastrointestinal patients are more vulnerability to malnutrition and dehydration.

Hiqa said in 2007 the annual costs associated with malnourished patients was estimated to be more than €1.4 billion, 10 per cent of the healthcare budget that year. About 140,000 adults are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition at any given time.

Hiqa said it wants to encourage hospitals to follow evidence-based best practice in nutrition and hydration care with a focus on screening and assessment, arrangements at mealtimes and the patient’s own experience.

“We want to ensure that patients are adequately assessed, managed and evaluated to effectively meet their individual nutrition and hydration needs. Initially, hospitals will self-assess their position. The information provided by hospitals in self-assessments will inform the programme of unannounced inspections, which is due to start later this year,” said Mr Quinn.

An overview of the authority’s findings will be published in 2016.