Unmet needs in cancer patients: Creating recommendations to overcome geographical disparities in economic growth

Cancer is a major clinical, economic and societal challenge across different world regions. Effective anticancer therapies are now available, yet the impact of these treatments on the needs of patients with cancer remains questionable, since improved survival is not frequently associated with improved quality of life. In an effort to raise patients' needs at the core of anticancer therapies, the importance of nutritional support has become recognized by international scientific societies. It is recognized that the needs of patients with cancer are universal, yet the economic and societal status of any country influence the availability and implementation of nutritional care. The Middle East is a geographic area in which major differences in economic growth coexist. Consequently, it appears reasonable that international guidelines on nutritional care in oncology are reviewed to highlight those recommendations which could be universally adopted and those which may need a progressive implementation. To this end, a group of Middle East healthcare professionals working in cancer centers across the region gathered to develop a list of recommendations to be implemented in daily practice. This would translate in a likely better acceptance and delivery of nutritional care, aligning all Middle East cancer centers to the quality standards now available only in selected hospital across the region.

Analysis of predictors of malnutrition in adult hospitalized patients: social determinants and food security

Background

Malnutrition in hospitalized patients is becoming a priority during the patient care process due to its implications for worsening health outcomes. It can be the result of numerous social factors beyond clinical ones. This study aimed to evaluate the link between these various risk factors considered social determinants of health, food security levels, and malnutrition and to identify potential predictors.

Methods

A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on a random sample of adult patients in five different hospitals in Lebanon. Malnutrition was assessed using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria. Patients were interviewed to collect social and economic characteristics and were categorized into four criteria: (1) area of residence (urbanization level), (2) level of education, (3) employment status, and (4) source of health coverage. The food security level was screened by a validated two-question tool, adapted from the US Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Survey, targeting both quantity and quality.

Results

In a random sample of 343 patients, the prevalence of malnutrition according to the GLIM criteria was 35.6%. Patients with low levels of food security, mainly low quality of food, had higher odds of being malnourished (OR = 2.93). Unemployed or retired patients and those who have only completed only elementary school had higher odds of being diagnosed with malnutrition as compared to those who were employed or had university degrees, respectively (OR = 4.11 and OR = 2.33, respectively). Employment status, education level, and type of health coverage were identified as predictors of malnutrition in the multiple regression model. Household location (urban vs. rural) was not associated with malnutrition.

Conclusion

The social determinants of health identified in our study, mainly the level of education and income level, in addition to food security, were identified as predictors of malnutrition in hospitalized patients. These findings should guide healthcare professionals and national policies to adopt a broader perspective in targeting malnutrition by including social determinants in their nutrition care.

Prevalence of Malnutrition in Hospitalized Patients in Lebanon Using Nutrition Risk Screening (NRS-2002) and Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) Criteria and Its Association with Length of Stay

(1) Background: Prevalence studies on hospital malnutrition are still scarce in the Middle East region despite recent global recognition of clinical malnutrition as a healthcare priority. The aim of this study is to measure the prevalence of malnutrition in adult hospitalized patients in Lebanon using the newly developed Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition tool (GLIM), and explore the association between malnutrition and the length of hospital stay (LOS) as a clinical outcome. (2) Methods: A representative cross-sectional sample of hospitalized patients was selected from a random sample of hospitals in the five districts in Lebanon. Malnutrition was screened and assessed using the Nutrition Risk Screening tool (NRS-2002) and GLIM criteria. Mid-upper arm muscle circumference (MUAC) and handgrip strength were used to measure and assess muscle mass. Length of stay was recorded upon discharge. (3) Results: A total of 343 adult patients were enrolled in this study. The prevalence of malnutrition risk according to NRS-2002 was 31.2%, and the prevalence of malnutrition according to the GLIM criteria was 35.6%. The most frequent malnutrition-associated criteria were weight loss and low food intake. Malnourished patients had a significantly longer LOS compared to patients with adequate nutritional status (11 days versus 4 days). Handgrip strength and MUAC measurements were negatively correlated with the length of hospital stay. (4) Conclusion and recommendations: the study documented the valid and practical use of GLIM for assessing the prevalence and magnitude of malnutrition in hospitalized patients in Lebanon, and highlighted the need for evidence-based interventions to address the underlying causes of malnutrition in Lebanese hospitals.

The Use of Different Muscle Assessment Techniques to Assess Validity of Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM)

Objectives

To assess which combination of indicators in the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) diagnostic tool better predicts malnutrition. Additionally, to compare the validity of GLIM upon the use of different muscle assessment techniques for the assessment of muscle loss.

Methods

Nutritional screening was performed through the Nutrition Risk Screening-2002 (NRS-2002) or the Mini-Nutrition Assessment-Full Form (MNA-FF). Nutritionally at-risk patients were assessed for malnutrition using the GLIM criterion. Fat free muscle index (FFMI), nutrition focused physical examination (NFPE) and handgrip strength (HG) were used to identify muscle loss. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated for GLIM with each of the three muscle assessment tools.

Results

579 patients were screened for malnutrition and 121(20.90%) patients were considered nutritionally at risk. GLIM criterion showed close percentages of malnourished patients: 117(20.21%), 110(19.0%) and 110 (19.0%) when using NFPE, FFMI, and HG respectively. With three different muscle assessment techniques, 10 different combinations of indicators in GLIM were retrieved. The combination of muscle loss, assessed through NFPE, with either one of the two etiologic criteria yielded the highest numbers of malnourished patients among all three techniques [NFPE + reduced food intake/assimilation: 113(19.52%) and NFPE + Inflammation: 117(20.21%)], while the use of FFMI resulted in the lowest [FFMI + reduced food intake/assimilation: 37(6.39%) and FFMI + Inflammation: 40(6.91%)]. All three tools, GLIM + NFPE, GLIM + FFMI, and GLIM + HG reported high specificity [98.9% (97.45–99.64), 99.1% (97.76–99.76) and 99.1% (97.78–99.76) respectively]. However, results revealed moderate sensitivity for GLIM + FFMI [89.8% (82.91–94.63)]and GLIM + HG [89.1% (82.04–94.05)] yet a high sensitivity for GLIM + NFPE [93.3% (87.29–97.08)].

Conclusions

The combination of NFPE with either of the etiologic criteria identified more malnourished patients than the combinations including FFMI or HG. A high degree of validity was reported for all three muscle assessment tools in GLIM criterion.

Funding Sources

None.

Evaluation of nutrition support practices: Results from a nationwide survey

BACKGROUND

Multiple clinical guidelines are available to improve and standardize the delivery of nutrition support. However, recommendations are not being universally applied at the bedside due to challenges of resources and barriers of knowledge. Assessing the current level of nutrition support practice is the first step to understand the barriers and ultimately implement potential strategies to increase guideline adherence and promote quality nutrition support in hospitals. There are no published data concerning the practice of nutrition support in Lebanese hospitals.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of our study is to investigate for the first time the current clinical practice pertinent to nutrition support across Lebanon.

METHODS

A survey was developed by The Nutrition Board of the Lebanese Society of Critical Care Medicine (LSCCM) to determine nutrition support practices in hospitals with an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) across Lebanon. The 28-question survey assesses the delivery of feeding methods such as oral nutrition supplements (ONS), enteral nutrition (EN), and parenteral nutrition (PN).

RESULTS

Fourty-one hospitals from 116 total completed the survey. The majority of the hospitals (92.6%) do not systematically use a screening system for malnutrition. Seventy six percent of hospitals reported less than 5% of their patients are kept for more than 7 days with no nutrition support. Early EN is used in preference over PN in ICUs, as 72% of hospitals start early EN (within 48 h) in more than 10% of cases while only 30% of hospitals start early PN (within the first week) in more than 10% of cases. Fifty-one percent of the hospitals use ready prepared formula while the rest (49%) use kitchen prepared formula.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study is the first of its kind in Lebanon aiming at describing the current clinical practice in nutrition support at a national level. Working toward the use of a nutritional screening tool on admission and the exclusive use of ready made formula for enteral feeding will have the most significant and immediate impact on improving quality of nutritional care for hospitalized patients. This can be achieved mainly through the education of the concerned staff.