The development and evaluation of the Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Paediatrics (STAMP^©) for use by healthcare staff

Abstract

IntroductionNutrition screening is a quick and simple process aiming to identify individuals with (or at risk of developing) malnutrition so that appropriate nutritional intervention can be initiated. The ideal nutrition screening tool is one that can be completed by any member of the healthcare team without specialist nutrition training or knowledge, is reproducible and reliable in the identification of individuals at risk of malnutrition, and facilitates referral for appropriate nutritional assessment (Taylor-Baer & Bradford-Harris, 1997). By contrast, nutritional assessment is the detailed process of quantifying the degree of malnutrition in an individual, requiring specialist training and expert knowledge of nutrition. Malnutrition, both undernutrition and over-nutrition, has recognised clinical and financial consequences for the individual and for healthcare services. In adults, under-nutrition is associated with poor AbstractBackground: The early identification of malnutrition and nutrition risk through nutrition screening is common practice in adult clinical care but, in children, this has been hampered by the lack of an appropriate nutrition screening tool. The present study aimed to develop and evaluate a simple, child-specific nutrition screening tool for administration by non-nutrition healthcare professionals. Methods: In a two-phase observational study, significant predictors of nutrition risk were identified using a structured questionnaire. These were then combined to produce a nutrition screening tool. For evaluation purposes, the reliability, sensitivity and specificity of the newly-developed Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Paediatrics (STAMP

Hospital Malnutrition in Pediatric Patients: A Review

“…Each element receives a score, and the score determines whether the patient should undergo complete nutritional assessment, but the authors did not assess whether score is related to clinical outcomes [38]. In 2010 Gerasimidis et al developed the Pediatric Yorkhill Malnutition Score (PYMS), which consists of a four-stage assessment based on BMI, recent weight loss and low food intake in the last week, and clinical status.…”

Accuracy of Nutritional Screening Tools in Assessing the Risk of Undernutrition in Hospitalized Children

“…Different pediatric nutritional screening tools have been developed (12,(16)(17)(18). The absence of a golden standard to define undernutrition, however, and more important, to define nutritional risk in pediatric patients has led to different approaches in validating those screening tools (19).…”

Malnutrition risk in hospitalized children: use of 3 screening tools in a large European population

“…Malnutrition screening has been advocated as part of patients' standard care (1)(2)(3). This recommendation is because malnutrition on admission or deterioration of the nutritional status during hospitalization has been associated with a prolonged hospital stay and adverse outcomes (e.g., increased rates of complications such as infections), although the causality in these associations remains to be explored (4)(5)(6)(7).…”