The impact of altered nutritional status is costly. Surgical patients have
2-3 times the risk of complications, length of stay is extended by 90%, and
charges are 35-75% higher.(3) Risk factors are numerous; therefore, collab
oration among all members of the health care team is required to impact pat
ient outcomes positively. The purpose of this article is to review the sign
ificance of alteration in nutrition and its impact on patient outcomes. The
article demonstrates two approaches to improve the quality of care given t
o clients with an identified alteration in nutritional status: a clinical r
esearch project and a quality improvement project.