Introduction:

In the process of nursing care for the elderly undergoing gastrectomy, the intervention in partnership, based on a personalized plan is crucial to avoid complications, namely in preventing malnutrition in the elderly and the preparation of their return home to prevent readmissions.

Objetives:

Prevent malnutrition in the elderly undergoing gastrectomy and prepare for their return home.

Methods:

Intervention project using the project methodology, carried out in a Central Hospital in Lisbon. It involved 8 elderly people who underwent gastrectomy, family caregivers and 39 nurses. Data were collected through document analysis, observation of practices and interviews, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.

Results:

New practices were introduced in the nursing team, ensured to all clients: detailed and individualized record of the information collected in the initial assessment, assessment of the malnutrition status, initial and final weighing and articulation with other professionals of the multiprofessional team.

The nutritional assessment (with MNA scale) of the elderly revealed that five were at risk of malnutrition and one was already in a state of malnutrition. The weight assessment started to be carried out on the 1st day of hospitalization and at the end of hospitalization, revealing a negative variation of 1.81 kg.

Conclusions:

The partnership intervention allowed care centered on the elderly. There was a restructuring of care that allowed nurses to get to know the elderly better and to detect cases of malnutrition and prepare the transition process for home.

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