OBJECTIVES : To evaluate the cost effectiveness of the reimbursement by the Brazilian National Health System (SUS) of oral nutrition supplements to treat patients at risk of malnourishment or malnourished in non-oncologic medical wards and that do not require ICU admission.

METHODS : We built a cost-effectiveness model, in Excel, which quantifies the cost, length of hospitalization and the number of deaths due to malnourishment for patients receiving or not oral nutritional supplements. The time horizon is one year. We used the perspective of SUS to conduct this study. The effectiveness was measured as the number of hospitalization days avoided, additional patients having access to hospitalization, avoided readmissions and avoided deaths. The costs of hospitalizations and those related to nutritional treatment are from DATASUS.

RESULTS : The addition of oral nutrition supplements in the treatment of medical inpatients at risk of malnourishment or malnourished presented a cost-effectiveness of US$ 69.20, US$ 408.52, US$ 1,134.96 and US$ 3,171.08, per day of hospitalization avoided, for additional patients having access to hospitalization, for avoided readmission and for avoided death, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS : Considering the conditions proposed in this model, the use of oral nutrition supplements was able to decrease the number of days of hospitalization, readmissions and deaths liberating hospital beds and allowing additional patients to have access to hospitalization to treat other conditions that otherwise, would take some time to be treated.