Hand-Grip strength and associations with clinical outcomes in surgical patients.

• Grant number: 23/08098-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2023
• End date: September 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition
• Principal Investigator: Vania Aparecida Leandro Merhi
• Grantee: Lucas Rosasco Mazzini
• Host Institution: Escola de Ciências da Vida (ECV). Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas (PUC-CAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Undergraduate Research Initiation Plan (URIP) "Grip strength and associations with clinical outcomes in surgical patients" is linked to the faculty research project "GLIM criteria and handgrip strength (HGS) as predictors of nutritional status in hospitalized patients." Its objective is to investigate the relationship between grip strength and clinical outcomes during the hospitalization of surgical patients in a surgical ward.This undergraduate research plan is a cross-sectional study. Hospitalized patients with various clinical and surgical conditions will be selected from the surgical wards of the PUC-Campinas hospital. Data collection will be conducted through patient consultations in the surgical wards and gathering information from medical records. Variables such as age, gender, type of disease, comorbidities, type of surgery, complications, length of hospital stay, and grip strength will be collected and analyzed. Descriptive analyses and associations between all the variables collected and grip strength, which is considered a good assessment tool for muscle mass, will be performed.By obtaining knowledge about the use of grip strength as a nutritional marker and its associations with clinical outcomes, it will be possible to generate evidence for decision-making in routine clinical practice in hospitalized patients, especially those confined to bed with total inability to ambulate. This research will contribute to the actions of hospital clinical practice, particularly for patients hospitalized through the public health system (SUS).