More than one in three patients malnourished on admission to hospital, new survey reveals

The Irish Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism said malnutrition screening should be expanded. Stock image

Eilish O'Regan

More than one in three patients, including older groups and people with cancer, are malnourished on admission to hospital and levels are rising, a new survey by nutrition experts has revealed.

The findings from 3,662 patients surveyed across 26 public hospitals in Ireland, showed an increase in patients suffering malnutrition; rising to 34pc, up from 32pc in 2011 and 28pc in 2010.