Screening and Assessment of Malnutrition

Abstract

Disease Related Malnutrition is a common condition in many patients seen in the ambulatory or hospital setting. It is associated with increased fatigue or reduced muscle strength, risk of pressure ulcers and poor wound healing, infectious complications, depression, leading to augmented morbidity and mortality, higher lengths of stay and health care costs. Malnutrition is a very common problem in patients with neurological disorders, such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, motor neuron disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Patients may present different factors causing insufficient dietary intake, such as dysphagia, anorexia, or need of help for eating. Health care providers have to be aware of the nutritional consequences of neurological diseases and incorporate into their clinical practice the required steps to identify those patients with malnutrition or at risk of developing it. The main steps are screening, assessment, nutritional planning, monitoring, and registration along with diagnostic coding and, finally, audit of the whole process. In this chapter, we will review how to carry out nutritional screening, assessment and diagnostic coding. The results of this diagnostic process have to be registered into the medical record of each patient, along with the therapeutic interventions delivered in response to these findings.