Nutritional screening
Nutritional screening is a rapid and simple process
conducted by admitting staff or community health
care teams.3 The outcome of screening may lead to
(1) the patient is not at-risk of malnutrition, but
may need to be re-screened at specified intervals,
e.g. weekly during hospital stay, (2) the patient is
at-risk and a nutrition plan is worked out and
implemented by the staff according to ordinary
ward routines, or (3) the patient is at-risk, but
metabolic or functional problems prevent a standard
plan being carried out or there is doubt as
whether the patient is at-risk.
In any of these cases, referral should be made to
an expert for assessment.
Methods and application of nutritional screening
have been described in a detailed ESPEN guideline
(NRS).3