The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) has recently been
designed and validated to provide a single, rapid assessment of
nutritional status in elderly patients in clinics, hospitals, and
nursing homes.1–3 The aim of the MNA is to evaluate the risk of
malnutrition so as to permit early nutritional intervention when
needed. The MNA provides primary care physicians a tool to
rapidly screen for patients who may subsequently need a more
extensive nutritional assessment. The MNA has been translated
into several languages and is used in many clinics around the
world.4 – 6 This paper will report on our work with the MNA and
its usefulness in grading the nutritional status of elderly patients.