BMJ 1994;308:1369-69 (21 May)

Letters

Starvation in hospital Ethically indefensible and expensive

EDITOR, - John Garrow is right to emphasise the neglect of nutrition in medical practice.1 The provision of a simple nutritional supplement to patients with hip fracture significantly lowers complications and deaths and reduces the length of stay in hospital from a median of 40 to 24 days.2 Poor vitamin C status is associated with the development of pressure sores,3 which prolong the stay in hospital. Even in fit elderly people modest supplementation of vitamins and trace elements significantly reduces the number of days of infectious illness. 4 Not only is nutritional neglect ethically indefensible but better nutrition will save the NHS money: it has been estimated that improved nutrition for hospital inpatients would alone save the NHS £266m a year.5

Nutrition influences every specialty inside and outside the hospital. We already have the nutritional skill of dietitians to call on. For doctors trained in both nutrition and medicine, such as . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Starvation in hospital
J Garrow
BMJ 1994 308: 934. [Extract] [Full Text]

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