EFFORTEffect of Early Nutritional Therapy on Frailty, Functional Outcomes and Recovery of Undernourished Medical Inpatients Trial: The EFFORT Trial

The aims of the randomized-controlled, multicenter EFFORT trial are to test the hypothesis that in medical inpatients at risk for undernutrition defined by the nutritional risk score (NRS 2002), early tailored nutritional therapy to reach nutritional targets based on individualized nutritional counseling is a cost-effective strategy to prevent mortality, morbidity and functional decline. The primary composite endpoint is combined adverse outcome within 30 days defined as (a) all-cause mortality, (b) admission to the intensive care unit from the medical ward, (c) major complications, (d) unplanned hospital readmissions and (d) decline in functional outcome from admission to day 30 assessed by Barthel's index (-10%). Secondary endpoints include (a) each single component of the primary endpoint (b) short-term nutritional and functional outcomes from inclusion to day 10 or hospital discharge; (c) hospital outcomes; (d) 30-day and 180-day outcomes (e) Other safety endpoints including adverse gastrointestinal effects associated with nutritional therapy assessed daily until hospital discharge. The investigators will include unselected adult medical inpatients at risk of undernutrition \[NRS≥3 points\] and an expected hospital stay of ≥5 days who are willing to provide informed consent. The investigators will exclude patients in critical care or post-operative state, unable to swallow, at long-term need for parenteral/enteral nutrition, in terminal condition, pregnant, with acute pancreatitis or acute liver failure, with anorexia nervosa, that were earlier included into the trial Patients in the intervention group will receive individualized nutritional therapy to reach nutritional targets (caloric, protein, micronutrients, other) based on a predefined nutritional strategy. In control patients, according to patients' appetite, standard hospital nutrition will be served. Nutritional therapy may be started in control patients, if any sort of swallowing disorders develops or if patients need to be prepared for operation. All patients will be re-assessed daily during the hospital stay for nutritional intake and nutritional therapy may be escalated every 24-48 hours (food fortification, oral supplements, enteral, parenteral nutrition) if targets are not met (at least 75% of targets). The targeted sample size is 2000 - 3000 patients. The inclusion of 2000 - 3000 patients will provide between 76% and 91% power to detect a reduction in the primary endpoint of 15% (from 40% to 34%) assuming a lost to follow up rate of 10%.