Table 2 Attitudes of family physicians towards diagnosing and treating malnutrition in the elderly
Fully agree n (%) | Partially agree n (%) | Disagree n (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | In my opinion, the knowledge I have in the field of nutrition is sufficient to help my elderly patients | 33 (26.4) | 44 (35.2) | 48 (38.4) |
2 | It's more important to treat obesity than malnutrition | 5 (4.0) | 11 (8.7) | 110 (87.3) |
3 | It's important to identify malnutrition in elderly patients, to improve their quality of life | 117 (92.9) | 5 (4.0) | 4 (3.2) |
4 | Screening for malnutrition in the elderly should be performed by nurses, who should refer them to a dietician if needed | 58 (46.4) | 44 (35.2) | 23 (18.4) |
5 | When patients report a loss of appetite, they should undergo a nutritional assessment | 97 (77.6) | 20 (16.0) | 8 (6.4) |
6 | When elderly patients report having lost 2–3 kg in three months, the physician should recommend that they consume oral nutritional supplements, such as Ensure or Nutren | 12 (9.7) | 44 (35.5) | 68 (54.8) |
7 | Carrying out nutritional screening of elderly patients in the clinic is not possible, due to lack of time and personnel | 49 (38.9) | 37 (29.4) | 40 (31.7) |