Impact of a specialized oral nutritional supplement on quality of life in older adults following hospitalization: Post-hoc analysis of the NOURISH trial

BACKGROUND p = 0.019), the domains of mental health at days 60 (-3.76 -7.40, -0.12; p = 0.043) and 90 (-4.88 -8.41, -1.34; p = 0.007), vitality at day 90 (-3.33 -6.65, -0.01; p = 0.049) and social functioning at day 90 (-4.02 -7.48,-0.55; p = 0.023). Compared to placebo, differences in LSM values for the SF-36 general health domain were significant with improvement in the S-ONS group at hospital discharge and beyond: day 0 (-2.72 -5.33, -0.11; p = 0.041), day 30 (-3.08 -6.09, -0.08; p = 0.044), day 60 (-3.95 -7.13, -0.76; p = 0.015), and day 90 (-4.56 -7.74, -1.38; p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: In hospitalized older adults with cardiopulmonary diseases and evidence of poor nutritional status, daily intake of S-ONS compared to placebo improved post-discharge QoL scores for mental health/cognition, vitality, social functioning, and general health. These QoL benefits complement survival benefits found in the original NOURISH trial analysis. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01626742.