Background: Malnutrition among skilled nursing facility (SNF) patients can lead to hospital readmissions and
multiple complications.
Purpose: To evaluate the effect of an existing malnutrition screening and management program on prealbumin
levels of patients in skilled nursing facilities.
Methods: A retrospective design was used to evaluate baseline admission data including a prealbumin level. Patients
with malnutrition received an oral protein supplement according to protocol. A comparison prealbumin
level was obtained at 30 days.
Results: Nearly half of the patients were severely malnourished on admission. Patients receiving the prescribed
protocol had significantly increased prealbumin levels at 30 days than those patients that did not receive the protocol
as prescribed.
Conclusion: A prealbumin level upon admission at a SNF could represent a reliable tool to evaluate malnutrition.
Initiation of an early malnutrition screening and protein supplement programin this setting is essential to identifying
and treating at-risk patients before complications occur