ArticleFrontiers in nutrition2026
Budget impact analysis of energy and nutrient-dense oral nutritional formulas for hospitalized pediatric disease-related malnutrition in the Middle East.
Article in Frontiers in nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Disease-related malnutrition is a significant yet underappreciated burden among hospitalized children, particularly in the Middle East, where data on prevalence and economic effects are few. DRM perpetuates a vicious cycle in which diseases lead to malnutrition, and malnutrition in turn worsens disease outcomes, prolongs recovery, and raises healthcare expenses. Although nutritional treatments are clinically useful in DRM management, information on their economic effects is sparse. Objective: To estimate the budget impact and potential cost savings of introducing energy-and nutrient-dense formulas (ENDFs) for hospitalized pediatric DRM patients aged 0-5 years across public and private sectors in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Methods: An Excel-based cost calculator model compared standard nutritional formulas to ENDFs over a one-year horizon from a healthcare payer's perspective across both public and private sectors. The model estimated annual direct medical costs, incorporating population inputs, formulas, and hospitalization costs, as well as hospital length of stay (LOS), informed by expert consultations. One-way sensitivity analyses (±20%) were conducted to assess the model's robustness. Further, Scenario analyses using alternative uptake assumptions (25, 50, and 75%) were also conducted to improve the practical relevance of the model. Results: The use of ENDFs was linked to consistent reductions in LOS (19-50%) and significant cost savings (15-50%), mainly driven by lower hospitalization expenses, which made up over 95% of total costs. Sensitivity analysis showed that prevalence, LOS reduction percentage, and baseline LOS were the main cost drivers, in line with previous economic models. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the clinical and economic value of ENDFs in managing pediatric DRM, through reduced hospital length of stay and associated costs, supporting their broader adoption.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.