Nutrition Assessment
Nutritional Screening and Assessment
• Nutritional screening
A quick and simple process undertaken by inpatient staff or community health service
teams to define patients at risk or not at risk team to define patients who are or are not at
risk of malnutrition
• Nutritional assessment
Detailed assessment of metabolic, nutritional or functional variables by an expert
physician, dietitian or nutritionist or nutrition nurse
Definition
a. Nutrition Assessment is a systematic approach to collect, classify, and synthesize data to
describe nutritional status, nutritional problems and their causes. nutrition, nutrition
problems, and their causes.
b. A systematic process of obtaining, verifying, and interpreting data.
c. Nutritional Status Assessment is an ongoing process that requires the collection of initial
data collection followed by reassessment and analysis of client data compared to
applicable standards, recommendations, and/or with applicable standards,
recommendations, and/or goals such as growth charts, dietary guidelines, and/or individual
needs.
The importance of Nutrition Assessment
• To identify people at risk of malnutrition for early intervention or referral before they
become malnourished.
• To identify malnourished clients for treatment.
• People with malnutrition who are not treated early will spend longer in hospital, slower
recovery from infections and complications, and higher morbidity and mortality.
• To track child growth
• To identify medical complications that affect the body's ability to digest food and utilize
nutrients
• To detect practices that may increase the risk of malnutrition and infection
Nutritional Screening and Assessment
• Nutritional screening
A quick and simple process undertaken by inpatient staff or community health service
teams to define patients at risk or not at risk team to define patients who are or are not at
risk of malnutrition
• Nutritional assessment
Detailed assessment of metabolic, nutritional or functional variables by an expert
physician, dietitian or nutritionist or nutrition nurse
Definition
a. Nutrition Assessment is a systematic approach to collect, classify, and synthesize data to
describe nutritional status, nutritional problems and their causes. nutrition, nutrition
problems, and their causes.
b. A systematic process of obtaining, verifying, and interpreting data.
c. Nutritional Status Assessment is an ongoing process that requires the collection of initial
data collection followed by reassessment and analysis of client data compared to
applicable standards, recommendations, and/or with applicable standards,
recommendations, and/or goals such as growth charts, dietary guidelines, and/or individual
needs.
The importance of Nutrition Assessment
• To identify people at risk of malnutrition for early intervention or referral before they
become malnourished.
• To identify malnourished clients for treatment.
• People with malnutrition who are not treated early will spend longer in hospital, slower
recovery from infections and complications, and higher morbidity and mortality.
• To track child growth
• To identify medical complications that affect the body's ability to digest food and utilize
nutrients
• To detect practices that may increase the risk of malnutrition and infection
