Comparison of three different nutrition screening tools for pediatric inpatients

Abstract

Background Early detection of children at risk of developing malnutrition during hospitalization prevents the development of complications. This study aims to determine the malnutrition risk of pediatric inpatients by using three different nutrition screening tools and to evaluate the reliability/sensitivity of the screening tools. Methods This cross‐sectional study included 176 children who were 1–16 years of age and were admitted to the pediatrics service of a second‐line hospital. Body weight and height were used to evaluate the nutrition status of children. Age‐ and sex‐specific z‐score values for height for age (HFA), weight for age (WFA), and body mass index for age (BFA) were indicators of malnutrition. The Screening Tool for Risk of Impaired Nutritional Status and Growth (STRONGkids), Pediatric Yorkhill Malnutrition Score (PYMS), and Pediatric Nutrition Screening Tool (PNST) were used under the responsibility of pediatricians and dietitians to evaluate the risk of malnutrition in children. Results At admission, according to the HFA, BFA, and WFA SD scores (SDSs), the incidence of malnutrition in children was 8.5%, 14.8%, and 6.3%, respectively. Three screening tools determined that WFA SDSs were significantly higher in children without malnutrition risk than in those at risk of malnutrition (P < 0.05). PYMS revealed a relatively higher sensitivity of 90.9% and 84.6% for WFA and BFA, respectively, and PNST revealed a relatively higher sensitivity of 88.9% for HFA. Conclusions PYMS and PNST are suitable for use in malnutrition risk assessment in pediatric inpatients because of the screening tools’ high sensitivity.

Nutritional Screening Tools Used in Pediatric Malnutrition

“…ÇalıĢmada PYMS'nin diğer tarama araçlarına göre WFA ve yaĢa göre BKĠ için sırasıyla %90,9 ve %84,6 gibi nispeten daha yüksek bir duyarlılık ortaya koyduğu ve PNST'nin HFA için %88,9 gibi nispeten daha yüksek bir duyarlılığa sahip olduğu bulunmuĢtur. 47 Bıçaklı ise 2021 yılında 170 pediatrik onkoloji hastası üzerinde beslenme tarama aracı olan STRONGkids ve PYMS'nin tanısal doğruluğunu değerlendirmiĢ ve PYMS'nin (%92.68) STRONGkids'den (%78.05) daha doğru olduğu sonucuna ulaĢmıĢtır. 12 Bu çalıĢma sonucunda yazarlar, malnütrisyon taraması yapılan hastanelerde PYMS'nin standart olarak kullanılabileceğini belirtmiĢtir.…”

Promoting Health Equity for the Hispanic Population through Improved Access to Malnutrition Screening and Intervention

“…In the clinical setting two common, validated tools for screening for malnutrition in young children are the Pediatric Yorkhill Malnutrition Score (PYMS), and Pediatric Nutrition Screening Tool (PNST), due to their high sensitivity. 66 The Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) is recommended to screen adults for malnutrition regardless of patient age, medical history, or setting. 67 The MST is a simple screening tool (addressing weight loss and appetite) that is designed to quickly identify potential malnutrition and can be included in the EMR.…”