Nutrition risk profile of 62 408 inpatients based on electronic health records in a tertiary children's hospital

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the nutrition risk profile of hospitalized children with electronic health record-based nutrition risk screening. Additionally, this study analyzed the association between high nutrition risk and clinical outcomes.

Methods: Children discharged from Shanghai Children's Medical Center between 2017 and 2018 were enrolled and nutritionally screened. Nutrition risk scores using the Screening Tool for Assessment of Malnutrition in Pediatrics (STAMP), length of stay (LOS), and costs of hospitalization were recorded. Enrolled patients were categorized into two groups: the low and medium nutrition risk (LMNR) group, with scores ranging from 0 to 3, and the high nutrition risk (HNR) group, with scores ≥4.

Results: Out of 62 408 subjects, 17.4% were at HNR. Patients with congenital heart diseases (83.9%), hematology-oncology diseases (26.0%) and gastroenterological diseases (21.4%) were affected most. Infants had the highest HNR rates (35.5%) of any age group. Surgical patients (20.7%) had a higher rate of HNR than non-surgical patients (9.5%). The HNR group had longer LOS (10.0 d versus 3.0 d, P < 0.001), higher total hospital costs (53 680.1 Chinese yuan [CNY] versus 8810.1 CNY, P < 0.001), and higher costs of antibiotics (441.0 CNY versus 0.0 CNY, P < 0.001) compared to the LMNR group. As STAMP score values increased, growing LOS and costs of hospitalization, medications, and antibiotics were observed.

Conclusions: A high prevalence of HNR was found in patients of Shanghai Children's Medical Center. Surgeries, specific disease, and infancy were important HNR risk factors. HNR scores using STAMP might predict prolonged LOS and higher medical costs.