Evaluation of malnutrition risk among adult patients admitted to the emergency department: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to identify demographic characteristics associated with nutritional risk and evaluate the prevalence and severity of malnutrition among adult patients admitted to the emergency department. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 187 adult emergency department patients with stable vital signs and a Glasgow Coma Scale score greater than 13. Malnutrition risk and status were assessed using the Nutritional Risk Screening-2002 (NRS-2002) and Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) within the first 24 hours of hospital admission. Data were collected through structured bedside interviews. Results: According to NRS-2002, 24.6% of patients were at risk for malnutrition, while SGA identified moderate malnutrition in 41.3% (SGA-B) and severe malnutrition in 39.1% (SGA-C) of cases. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that increasing age was significantly associated with nutritional risk (OR=1.032; 95% CI: 1.008–1.056; p=.008). Gender and reason for emergency admission did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: This study highlights that malnutrition risk is substantial among emergency department patients and significantly associated with increasing age. These findings emphasize the importance of incorporating systematic nutritional screening protocols at emergency admission, particularly in older adults, to ensure timely dietetic assessment and optimize clinical outcomes.