Preoperative nutritional state is closely related to perioperative morbidity and complications. This study aims to determine the effect of a protein-rich meal service in the preoperative setting compared to usual care.

Each year, approximately 1.4 million patients in the Netherlands are operated. Adequate nutritional intake, mainly protein intake, before surgery is important to improve preoperative muscle strength and functional capacity. However, up to 40% of patients admitted to the hospital suffer from malnutrition and this further deepened during hospitalization, which is an independent risk factor for peri-operative morbidity and severe complications, ranging from increased muscle loss, to higher infection rates, delayed wound healing and subsequently a prolonged hospital stay. An adequate food service is one strategy to improve protein intake and thereby the nutritional status. Extension of the study period to the out-of-hospital setting is recommended to explore the effects of long-term exposure to this concept on nutritional, functional and clinical outcomes. Therefore, the investigators aim to evaluate whether home delivered protein-rich meals, as part of FoodforCare meal service, in the preoperative setting improves protein intake in patients undergoing surgery, compared to usual care. The second aim is to investigate the effects on functional and clinical outcomes.

Inclusion criteria:

• 18 years or older
• surgical patients
• living within a 40 km radius around Nijmegen/Veghel
• inclusion at least 4 weeks before surgery
• surgery: Urology, Orthopedics, Gynaecology, General Surgery
• oral intake

Exclusion criteria:

• renal insufficiency (MDRD-GFR (glomerular filtration rate) < 60ml/min and/or proteinuria)*

• food allergy

• planned vacation during intervention period

  • proteinuria is defined in case of a protein creatinine ratio > 0.5g/10mmol or an albuminuria > 300mg/day.