A study suggests that oral nutritional supplementation (ONS) among hospitalized older adults with COPD appears to reduce length of stay (LOS), hospitalization costs, and readmission risks when compared with no ONS:

ONS Hospitalization Non-ONS Hospitalization
LOS 6.9 days 8.8 days
Hospitalization costs $10,953 $12,523
Probability of 30-day readmission 0.29 0.34

 

Source: Chest, June 2015.

An abstract of the study is available at http://journal.publications.chestnet.org/article.aspx?articleID=1921607.

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