Prevalence of Malnutrition in Slovak Hospitals Based on Mini Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire

Abstract Introduction Malnutrition represents a serious health issue that affects a significant percentage of hospitalized patients. Despite the emphasis on adequate healthcare in hospitals, malnutrition is often overlooked, leading to negative consequences for patient's treatment and prognosis. Objective The aim of our study was to describe the nutritional status of hospitalized patients in Slovak hospitals and to estimate the proportions of patients classified as well nourished, at risk of malnutrition, or malnourished. Methodology A quantitative, observational, multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted in hospitals in Slovakia (Martin, Poprad, Nitra, Banská Štiavnica, Bratislava, Rimavská Sobota). We included 752 hospitalized patients from internal medicine, neurology, surgery, oncology, and geriatrics departments. Nutritional status was assessed using the 18-item MNA®. Department information was available for 351 participants; the remaining participants were retained for the overall analysis. Data were collected between 2019 and 2021. Results 23.5% of hospitalized patients were classified as malnourished and an additional 40.6% were at risk of malnutrition. Among participants with available department information, the highest observed proportions of malnutrition were in oncology (39%) and geriatrics (36%), whereas neurology had the highest observed proportion of normal nutritional status. BMI analysis revealed that most patients were overweight (34%) or obese (29%), while underweight was present in 5%. Conclusion Malnutrition and risk of malnutrition were common in the participating Slovak hospitals, affecting nearly two-thirds of the study population. These findings support systematic nutritional assessment in hospitalized patients. Department-specific findings are descriptive because department information was unavailable for 401 participants.