Association of nutrition services and Length of Stay/life expectancy in Long-term care facilities: A systematic review protocol

Introduction. According to Statistics Canada, by 2050, 24.9% of Canadians will be aged 65 and above. This continuous aging of the population causes challenges related to older adult population’s good fit nutrition. This is particularly true for those residing in a long-term care facility (LTCF) where 6.8% of Canadians reside. Despite the importance of nutrition at old age, the current literature puts emphasis on managerial aspects of feeding. Methods: This systematic review seeks to synthesize the evidence on the association between malnutrition and i) the occurrence of morbid events (new pathology, pathological imbalance, hospitalization etc.) and ii) the length of stay of older people in LTCF taking into account the type of facility, ownership and participant characteristics. This review will include quantitative studies conducted in OECD countries. Participants will include older people residing in any type of LTCF. Searches will be done in the following databases: Academic Search Complete, AgeLine, CINHAL, Cochrane CENTRAL, Embase, Food Science and Technology Abstracts, Medline, Web of Science. Discussion and conclusion: This review has the merit of presenting the state of the nutrition and life expectancy nexus in a LTCF context where underfunding of LTC is apparent. The results will inform the development of best practices and the formulation of nutrition policies.