Multidisciplinary nutritional support team and survival outcomes in patients with sepsis: a nationwide population-based cohort study in South Korea

The South Korean government implemented a multidisciplinary nutritional support team (NST) system to focus on the proper evaluation and supply of nutritional status in hospitalized patients who are at a higher risk of malnutrition.

This nationwide population-based cohort study included patients diagnosed with sepsis who were admitted to hospitals from 2016 to 2020. The NST should consist of four professional personnel (physicians, full-time nurses, full-time pharmacists, and full-time clinical dietitians). The NST group included patients with sepsis admitted to a hospital with an NST system, whereas the non-NST group included patients with sepsis admitted to a hospital without an NST system.

A total of 323,841 patients with sepsis were included in the final analysis, and 120,274 (37.1%) admitted to a hospital with an NST system were included in the NST group. In the multivariable Cox regression analysis, the NST group showed a 15% lower 90-day mortality than the non-NST group (hazard ratio [HR]:0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI]:0.83, 0.86; P < 0.001). The NST group shows 11% lower 1-year all-cause mortality than the non-NST group (HR:0.89, 95% CI:0.87, 0.90; P < 0.001). In subgroup analyses, a more evident association of the NST group with lower 90-day mortality was shown in the intensive care unit admission group and age ≥65 years old group.

Multidisciplinary NST intervention is associated with improved survival outcomes in patients with sepsis. Moreover, this association was more evident in patients with sepsis aged ≥65 years old who were admitted to the ICU.