Using the Mini Nutritional Assessment to Evaluate the Profile of Elderly Patients in a Geriatric Outpatient Clinic and in Long-Term Institutions

INTRODUCTION: The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) is a scale developed to evaluate the risk of malnutrition in senior citizens and to identify those who might benefit from early intervention. The objective of this study was to verify the nutritional profile of elderly individuals through the application of the MNA in three different locations: at the Geriatric outpatient clinic and two long-term institutions. METHODS: Through transversal observation study the MNA was applied to 90 elderly people of both genders over 60 years of age. The MNA version modified by Rubenstein et al. [4] and translated into Portuguese was used to evaluate the patients for this study. The descriptive analysis of variables is shown as the average ± one standard deviation (SD). RESULTS: At the AG, the risk of malnutrition was found to be 72.73% ± 3.77%, while 27.27% ± 3.77% of the patients were eutrophic; no malnourished elderly patients were found. At the ASVP, 15.38% ± 11.28% of elderly patients were found to be malnourished, 35.90% ± 15.10% were found to be at risk of malnutrition and 48.72% ± 15.72% were eutrophic. At the PMI, 42.50% ± 15.30% of the elderly patients were found to be malnourished, 25% ± 13.40% were at risk of malnutrition and 32.50% ± 14.50% were eutrophic. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the high prevalence of elderly patients that were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, a more detailed evaluation of their nutritional states is required, as well as a regular follow up of those patients and a dietary intervention to reverse the situation.