Objective: To evaluate the use of the scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) as a nutrition assessment tool in patients with cancer. Design: An observational study assessing the nutritional status of patients with cancer. Setting: Oncology ward of a private tertiary Australian hospital. Subjects: Seventy-one cancer patients aged 18 -92 y. Intervention: Scored PG-SGA questionnaire, comparison of scored PG-SGA with subjective global assessment (SGA), sensitivity, specificity. Results: Some 24% (17) of 71 patients were well nourished, 59% (42) of patients were moderately or suspected of being malnourished and 17% (12) of patients were severely malnourished according to subjective global assessment (SGA). The PG-SGA score had a sensitivity of 98% and a specificity of 82% at predicting SGA classification. There was a significant difference in the median PG-SGA scores for each of the SGA classifications (P < 0.001), with the severely malnourished patients having the highest scores. Re-admission within 30 days of discharge was significantly different between SGA groups (P ¼ 0.037). The mortality rate within 30 days of discharge was not significantly different between SGA groups (P ¼ 0.305). The median length of stay of well nourished patients (SGA A) was significantly lower than that of the malnourished (SGA B þ C) patients (P ¼ 0.024). Conclusion:The scored PG-SGA is an easy to use nutrition assessment tool that allows quick identification and prioritisation of malnutrition in hospitalised patients with cancer.

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Malnutrition was evident in up to one third of the inpatients and led to poor hospitalization outcomes and survival as well as increased costs of care, even after matching for DRG. Strategies to prevent and treat malnutrition in the hospital and post-discharge are needed.