Mealtimes in hospitalised older people aged 65years and above.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
How do organisational and social contexts influence mealtimes on wards caring for the older person aged 65 years and above?
IRAS ID
280111
Contact name
Helen Aveyard
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Oxford Brookes University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 30 days
Research summary
Poor food intake(malnutrition) among hospitalised older people remains prevalent in the National Health Service(NHS). Malnutrition poses risks such as pressure sores, falls, longer hospital stays, increased dependency, frequent hospital admissions and increased cost to the NHS.
During the last decade initiatives to tackle malnutrition were adopted such as; protected meal times which means interventions are minimised so patients may have their meals uninterrupted. Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) utilises patients' weight, unintended weight loss and acute illness to determine whether a patient is at risk of malnutrition.A nutrition care plan is then implemented according to the MUST score.The use of red trays has been adopted to help easily identify those that require assistance. Despite these initiatives, malnutrition remains a concern among hospitalised older people.
This study will observe mealtimes on a ward and interview patients and nurses to understand how, when, what, where meals are served(organisational context) and interactions at mealtimes(social context), to help explain poor food intake and inform development of ways to improve practice.
The study will recruit patients aged 65 years and above, with a MUST score of 2 or above (sign of malnutrition)and are able to consent. Registered nurses(RNs) and their assistants;(health care assistants, student nurses,volunteers) to understand mealtime responsibilities.
Two Main parts of the study are: 1.Overt(Undisguised) non-participant observations of six mealtimes on one ward, field notes 2.semi-structured face to face interviews with six patients and six RNs or their assistants to further explore observed practices, including food chart reviews. Interviews will last no more than 30 minutes. As soon as data is collected,thematic data analysis commences.
Final report will be shared with participants, academic audiences through conferences and peer reviewed journals.
The study is expected to take two years to complete from May 2021 when ethics approval process is expected to be completed.REC name
HSC REC A
REC reference
21/NI/0093
Date of REC Opinion
28 Jun 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion