Pediatric malnutrition screening and assessment tools: Analyzing the gaps

Abstract

Pediatric healthcare professionals know that children who are malnourished have worse clinical outcomes than do their well‐nourished peers. The body of evidence in the literature on the topic of pediatric malnutrition (PMN) is growing and supports this conclusion. The goal of this article is to present the current state of practice related to PMN screening, the use of malnutrition risk screening (MNRS) tools, malnutrition assessment, and the use of malnutrition assessment tools. The purpose is also to discuss best practice for MNRS and assessment and to consider the gaps in practice where additional work is needed.

Nutritional Screening Tools Used in Pediatric Malnutrition

“…26 Fakat bu çalıĢmadaki örneklem küçüklüğü göz önüne alınarak sonuçların doğruluğu nu kanıtlamak için ileriye dönük çalıĢmalara ihtiyaç vardır. 27 Subjektif Global Nütrisyonel Değerlendirme (Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment -SGNA)…”

Nutrition in Critically Ill Children with AKI on Continuous RRT: Consensus Recommendations

“…Presently, there is no consensus on which tool is best for identifying malnutrition or risk of malnutrition in pediatric critical illness. 40 , 41 It can be assumed that all critically ill patients with AKI who require CRRT are at risk of nutrition deterioration regardless of nutrition status on admission and benefit from a nutrition assessment.…”

Nutrition considerations in pediatric surgical patients

“…It is based on the subjective assessment of seven parameters of a nutrition‐focused medical assessment (presence of stunting, presence of wasting, unintentional changes in weight, adequacy of dietary intake, gastrointestinal symptoms, functional capacity, and metabolic stress of disease) and three parameters of a nutrition‐focused physical examination (loss of subcutaneous fat, muscle wasting, and presence of edema). Validation studies have shown it to be related to outcome measures such as infection rates, length of stay, and readmission rates 23 . However, the SGNA is relatively complex and requires significant time and technical skills from the assessor, which may be a limitation to its use in an already overburdened healthcare system.…”

“…Validation studies have shown it to be related to outcome measures such as infection rates, length of stay, and readmission rates. 23 However, the SGNA is relatively complex and requires significant time and technical skills from the assessor, which may be a limitation to its use in an already overburdened healthcare system. The SGNA scores triage patients into well nourished, moderately malnourished, or severely malnourished.…”