Assessment of malnutrition in mental health clients: nurses' judgement vs. a nutrition risk tool

BACKGROUND: The existence of malnutrition in general hospitals is well documented. Psychiatric patients are known to have increased risk of malnutrition, yet physical examinations and nutritional assessments rarely take place in psychiatric hospitals. AIM: The purpose of this study was to adapt an established nutrition risk score for use with psychiatric patients, using criteria previously agreed by the care team, and to assess whether the clinical judgement of ward staff alone identified a similar group of patients to be at risk. METHOD: The risk score assessment was compared with a subjective risk assessment made by nursing staff as patients were admitted to the unit. Data were collected for 112 patients. RESULTS: The comparison revealed that nurses did not identify malnutrition in the same patients as the risk score, overlooking 27 (29%) at risk patients. Nurses associated malnutrition with psychotic illness, suggesting that depressed patients are more likely to be overlooked. STUDY LIMITATIONS: Although the risk score was based on a validated tool and its content and face validity were established, it has not itself been validated against criteria of nutritional status (malnutrition). CONCLUSIONS: Implementing routine nutritional screening on such units would assist in identifying at risk patients, enabling referral for dietetic intervention to be made. Providing nutrition education for staff might help to improve knowledge and awareness of malnutrition for this patient group.     

A critical evaluation of the use of nutrition screening tools by nurses

Malnutrition remains a problem in hospital and community patients, the consequences of which have deleterious effects on the sick individual and cost implications for healthcare providers. Provision of nutritional support has been shown to improve patient outcome in those at risk of malnutrition; therefore, the detection and treatment of malnutrition is paramount. Nurses have been identified as being in an ideal position to carry out routine nutritional screening to detect patients at risk of malnutrition and hence refer to the dietitian for detailed nutritional assessment and provision of nutritional support. Therefore, many nutritional screening tools have been developed to guide nurses in basic nutritional screening. However, for a tool to be effective certain criteria must be met including ease of use, cost-effectiveness, the presence of an action plan and prior testing for validity, reliability, sensitivity and specificity. Six such tools are critically evaluated in this article to establish whether they meet these criteria. Surprisingly, none of the screening tools demonstrated a beneficial effect on clinical outcome or met all of the above criteria. It is therefore essential that these tools are refined and retested before becoming part of established nursing practice.     

Nutritional screening and assessment tools for older adults: literature review

AIM: This paper reports a literature review to examine the range of published tools available for use by nurses to screen or assess nutritional status of older adults, and the extent to which validity, reliability, sensitivity, specificity and acceptability of the tools has been addressed. BACKGROUND: The incidence of malnutrition in older adults is high. One method by which malnutrition or risk of malnutrition can be detected is by the use of nutritional screening or assessment tools. METHODS: A comprehensive literature review methodology was employed. A variety of electronic databases were searched for the period 1982-2002. Search terms incorporating nutrition, screening, validity, reliability and sensitivity and specificity were combined to retrieve relevant literature. In addition, manual searches were conducted and articles retrieved from those listed in key papers. In this paper, nutritional screening or assessment tools are described as tools which use a questionnaire-type format containing more than one risk factor for malnutrition, and give a quantitative or categorical assessment of risk. RESULTS: Seventy-one nutritional tools were located, 21 of which were identified as designated for use with an older population. A wide variety of risk factors for malnutrition are used with the tools, ranging from objective measurements to subjective assessment. Some tools identify an action plan based on the score obtained. Many tools appear not to have been subjected to validity and/or reliability testing but are used clinically. CONCLUSIONS: As malnutrition is present in the older adult population, nutritional assessment and screening tools can be useful to highlight those in need of a nutritional care plan. However, many have not been subjected to evaluation and consequently may not demonstrate sensitivity and/or specificity in clinical use. The decision to use a particular tool should therefore be considered carefully.     

Nutritional screening and assessment tools for use by nurses: literature review

AIM: This paper reports a literature review describing the range of published tools available for use by nurses to screen or assess nutritional status of patients/clients, and to examine whether the validity, reliability, sensitivity, specificity and acceptability of the tool have been investigated. Tools developed specifically for use with older adults are not considered in this review. A screening/assessment tool is described as a tool that uses a questionnaire-type format, contains more than one risk factor for malnutrition and gives an assessment of risk. BACKGROUND: The incidence of malnutrition in people cared for by nurses is high and screening or assessment tools are often used to identify those with, or at risk of, malnutrition. METHODS: A comprehensive literature review methodology was employed. A range of electronic databases was searched from 1982 to 2002. Search terms incorporating "nutrition", "screening", assessment, feeding, instrument, tool, validity, reliability, sensitivity and specificity were combined. Manual searches were also conducted. RESULTS: Seventy-one nutritional screening/assessment tools were identified of which 35 were reviewed. Tools not reviewed included those which incorporated significant use of biochemical measures (8), included complex anthropometric measures (3), were concerned specifically with ingestion (4) or were designated for use with an older population (21). The tools reviewed use a wide variety of risk factors for malnutrition, varying from anthropometric measurements to socio-cultural aspects of eating behaviour. Some identify an action plan based on the score obtained. Many have not been subjected to validity and/or reliability testing and yet appear to be in use in clinical practice. The sensitivity, specificity and acceptability of the tools are often not investigated. CONCLUSION: There are many published nutritional screening/assessment tools available for use by nurses to screen or assess the nutritional status of patients/clients. Many have not been subject to rigorous testing. Future work should consider a more standardized approach to the use of these tools.     

Malnutrition in acute care patients: a narrative review

OBJECTIVES: This narrative review assesses the current prevalence of malnutrition, the methods for detection of malnutrition, the factors associated with malnutrition, and the effects of malnutrition in the acute care patients. DESIGN: A narrative review methodology was employed. DATA SOURCES: CINAHL, Pub Med, and MEDLINE electronic databases were searched from 1996 to 2005, for English language articles. Search terms of malnutrition, acute care patients, nutrition assessment, and nutrition screening were used. REVIEW METHOD: The titles and abstracts of 857 articles were examined. Full text of the articles were obtained only when abstracts described undernutrition, malnutrition, protein-energy malnutrition, nutrition assessment, nutrition screening, factors contributing to malnutrition, or resultant outcomes of malnutrition in adult acute care patients. Additionally, a hand search through reference lists of retrieved articles was done. The articles reviewed included empirical reports (110), reviews (25), commentaries (4), and reports from professional associations (10). RESULTS: Currently, malnutrition ranges from 13-78% among acute care patients. Different methods of detecting malnutrition make it difficult to determine the prevalence among acute care patients. Additionally, many nutrition-screening tools used to detect malnutrition have not undergone rigorous testing for validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity. Numerous personal and organizational factors affect the nutritional status of acute care patients. Diminished nutritional status contributes to increased use of hospital resources and increased hospital costs. CONCLUSION: Malnutrition continues to be a significant problem among acute care patients. The Subjective Global Assessment tool has the most diagnostic value for acute care patients. Simple measures, like documenting height and weight on admission, and assessing patient's nutritional intake, weight status, and medications that alter nutritional intake could assist in early detection of malnutrition in the acute care patient.     

Pressure ulcer development in older residents in nursing homes: influencing factors

Title. Pressure ulcer development in older residents in nursing homes: influencing factors. Aim. This paper is a report of a study assessing pressure ulcer incidence and factors affecting pressure ulcer development among older nursing home residents. Background. Previous researchers have shown that demographic, clinical, health status, risk and human resources factors affect pressure ulcer development among older people in various healthcare settings, but none has investigated their interactive effects among older nursing home residents. Method. This was a prospective cohort study involving 346 residents aged 65 years or over from four private nursing homes in Hong Kong. We collected information on participant demographics and assessed their clinical characteristics, health status and pressure ulcer risk factors. Subsequently, we assessed their skin condition every 2 days for 4 weeks to detect pressure ulcers that developed after the initial assessment. The data were collected between December 2006 and September 2007. Results. The pressure ulcer incidence was 25·16%. The model in which the factors of clinical characteristics, health status, pressure ulcer risk and human resources were controlled was more reliable in predicting pressure ulcer development than the other two models. It showed that bedfast or chairfast residents, especially those with co‐morbidities (renal failure and stroke) and living in nursing homes where there were no nurses but more nursing assistants, were at higher risk for pressure ulcer development. Conclusion. Evidence‐based interventions should be adopted to minimize the possible problems of pressure, malnutrition, friction and shear force, and the decreased pain perception of bedfast or chairfast residents in nursing homes, especially those with renal failure or stroke.     

The braden q+p: a pediatric perioperative pressure ulcer risk assessment and intervention tool

Pressure ulcers continue to be a personally and financially expensive complication of surgery and hospitalization. The effects of anesthesia, immobilization during surgery, and use of multiple medical devices all place the surgical patient at high risk for pressure-related skin injury. As part of a comprehensive pressure ulcer prevention initiative, nurses in the cardiac and main ORs at Children's Hospital Boston, Massachusetts, became concerned that current pressure ulcer risk assessment tools did not adequately capture the intense but short-term risk posed in the operating and procedural suites. A team, formed to investigate this matter, developed a tool to guide nursing assessment of patient risk and to plan nursing interventions to prevent pressure ulcers. Results after implementation of the Braden Q+P tool appear to show improvement in preventing pressure ulcers. Increased awareness of pressure ulcer prevention, a hospital focus on skin care, and nursing education about pressure ulcers supported this improvement.     

Differences in prevalence of pressure ulcers between the Netherlands and Germany--associations between risk, prevention and occurrence of pressure ulcers in hospitals and nursing homes

Aim. This study compares pressure ulcer prevalence and prevention activities in nursing homes and hospitals within two European countries. Background. Over three years stable differences have been found between the Netherlands (NL) and Germany (GER) with higher pressure ulcer rates in the NL. As previous analyses have shown, the differences cannot be entirely explained by differences in the population’s vulnerability to pressure ulcers because they still remain after risk adjustment. Therefore, the differences in prevalence must be caused by other factors. The purpose of this study is to analyse if any potential differences in preventive activities can account for the varying occurrence of pressure ulcers. Method. In both countries, nation-wide surveys were conducted annually using the same standardised questionnaires. Trained nurses examined all consenting patients of the voluntarily participating facilities. This examination included a skin assessment of the entire body. Data regarding risk factors, prevention and details about wounds were then collected. Results. In-patients of 29 German (n = 2531) and 71 Dutch (n = 10 098) nursing homes and 39 German (n = 8515) and 60 Dutch (n = 10 237) hospitals were investigated. The use of pressure-reducing devices was more common in the NL than in GER, but all other interventions were more frequently provided to German risk patients than to their Dutch counterparts. The pressure ulcer prevalence was significantly higher in the Dutch sample. After adjusting for gender, age, Braden Score and prevention, the probability of having a pressure ulcer was 8·1 times higher for Dutch nursing home residents than for German residents. Conclusion. Some of the variance in pressure ulcer prevalence between the two countries can be explained by varying pressure ulcer prevention. However, some remarkable differences still remain unexplained. Relevance to clinical practice. The extent of pressure ulcer prevention, especially repositioning and nutrition intervention provided to patients at risk, is not in accordance with international guidelines.     

Pressure ulcer risk screening in hospitals and nursing homes with a general nursing assessment tool: evaluation of the care dependency scale

Rationale In view of an increasing necessity for systematic assessments, nursing practice would benefit from a simplification of assessment procedures. These assessments should be scientifically based. Aims To evaluate the possibility of assessing pressure ulcer risk as well as care dependency simultaneously with a standardized instrument for nursing homes and hospitals. Methods Care dependency was measured with the Care Dependency Scale (CDS). The quantitative analyses were accomplished with data from a cross‐sectional study that was performed in 2005 in 39 German nursing homes and 37 hospitals with a total of more than 10 000 participants. The scale's construct validity was calculated with Pearson's r, and predictive validity was evaluated by computing sensitivity and specificity values and the area under the curve (AUC). Item‐level analyses included calculations of odds ratios, relative risks and logistic regression analyses. Results Construct validity of the CDS was r = 0.79 (P < 0.01) in nursing homes and r = 0.89 (P < 0.01) in hospitals. AUC was 0.80 in hospitals and 0.65 in nursing homes. Analyses on item level identified ‘mobility’ as a key item in both settings and additional differing key items for nursing homes and hospitals. Conclusions The CDS is a well‐functioning tool for pressure ulcer risk detection in hospitals. For this purpose, the most appropriate cut‐off point is 69 while special regard is given to the items ‘continence’, ‘mobility’ and ‘hygiene’. In nursing homes the usefulness of the CDS for pressure ulcer risk detection is limited. Here, the most appropriate cut‐off point is 41 and attention is given to the items ‘mobility’, ‘getting (un)dressed’, ‘hygiene’ and ‘avoidance of danger’.     

Using the Braden Q Scale to Predict Pressure Ulcer Risk in pediatric patients

The Braden Q Scale for Predicting Pediatric Pressure Ulcer Risk (Braden Q Scale) is a widely used, valid, and reliable pediatric-specific pressure ulcer risk assessment tool. Since its original publication, requests for clarification on how best to use the tool across the wide spectrum of pediatric patients commonly cared for in health care systems have been received. Common clarifications focus on using the Braden Q Scale as originally designed; specifically, not using untested derivations of the tool, and not using the Braden Q Scale to predict medical device-related pressure damage. The purpose of this article is to provide practical information on how best to use the Braden Q Scale and how to score a pediatric patient's risk for pressure ulcers. Accurate assessment of patient risk for pressure ulcers is the first step in guiding appropriate nursing interventions that prevent pressure ulcers. Patient assessment, scoring, and common clinical scenarios are presented.     

上海市三级医院神经外科压疮危险评估实践调查

目的:了解上海市三级医院神经外科实施压疮危险评估的现状。方法:选取上海市所有三级医院的神经外科,根据自设调查表调查各科室中压疮危险评估的内容、方法、程序及效果。结果:共调查23个科室,总体的年压疮发生率不足2%。总体的评估模式为经验判断与评估工具相结合,评估工具以自创量表为主,按照入院评估和复评的程序持续评估,根据评估结果实施高危预报和监控跟踪。结论:所调查科室在压疮危险评估的内容、方法和程序上与国外指南基本保持一致,但在评估工具、评估频率、评估后预防等方面尚不规范,缺乏统一标准,需要参考国外指南进一步调整,以提高压疮危险评估的效果。     

Nutrition and wound healing: the necessity of assessment

Wound healing is an intricate affair and good nutritional status is essential to promote effective growth and repair of body tissue. Nutrients play vital roles in the constitution of a well-balanced diet and any depletion in a person's nutritional intake, especially proteins, can lead to malnutrition and protein-energy malnutrition, conditions which are known to have considerable impact on health and well-being and on the wound healing process. A holistic nutritional assessment is paramount to the early detection of nutritional deficiency and the use of recognized nutritional assessment tools can significantly increase practitioners' awareness in its undertaking. While nurses are renowned to have a central role in the management of the patient who, nutritionally are at risk, it is equally important to remember that overall management is essentially a multidisciplinary task.     

An evaluation of the Waterlow pressure ulcer risk-assessment tool

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2001) stated that in order to achieve clinical governance strategies, risk management in the form of pressure ulcer risk assessment will contribute to improved quality of patient care. Risk-assessment tools must display high-predictive values, be highly sensitive and specific, reliable, and easy and convenient to use. Despite their extensively documented poor performance, pressure ulcer risk-assessment scales play a primary role in the prevention and management of pressure ulcers. The tools attempt to determine patients' risk status by quantifying a range of the most commonly recognized risk factors. Although there are over 40 different assessment tools, the Waterlow pressure ulcer risk-assessment tool is the tool that is most widely used in the UK. This article aims to review studies relating to the reliability, content validity, predictive validity, concurrent validity and the construct validity of the Waterlow pressure ulcer risk-assessment tool.     

Explaining the national differences in pressure ulcer prevalence between the Netherlands and Germany – adjusted for personal risk factors and institutional quality indicators

Background Pressure ulcers have a known impact on quality of life as well as on morbidity and mortality of the persons affected. Remarkable differences in pressure ulcer prevalence between the Netherlands and Germany have been found during the last 6 years. This study explores to what extent the individual risk of the population and quality indicators of the institutions can explain the variation in national prevalence. Methods Data of a binational multi‐centred cross‐sectional study in 103 hospitals (n = 21 378 patients) and 129 nursing homes (n = 15 579 residents) were analysed using random effects regression models to calculate the differences in national prevalences within the nursing homes and hospitals, adjusted for personal risk for pressure ulcer and quality indicators. Results The prevalence of pressure ulcers among the at‐risk group (Bradenscore ≤20) in nursing homes was 30.8% in the Netherlands and 8.3% in Germany [OR: 4.9 (CI 95%: 4.2–5.7)]. In hospitals, the prevalence among the at‐risk group was 26.1% in the Netherlands and 21.2% in Germany [OR: 1.3 (CI 95%: 1.2–1.5)]. After adjusting for individual risk factors (age, gender, Bradenscore) as well as for quality structures (use of prevention and treatment protocols, experts groups, information leaflets, nurses training, central pressure ulcer statistics and regular updating of protocols), the chance of developing a pressure ulcer was 6.05 times higher (CI 95%: 4.0–9.2) in a Dutch nursing home than in a German nursing home. Within the hospitals, the OR for Dutch patients was 2.03 (CI 95%: 1.4–3.0). Conclusion A remarkable national variation exists in pressure ulcer prevalence and nursing practice. Neither the populations vulnerability for pressure ulcers nor pressure ulcer management as measured in this study could explain this national variation. Therefore, other risk factors should be taken into consideration. Additionally, it is possible that quality indicators are implemented in differing ways with varying levels of effectiveness. Therefore, further research is needed to examine prospectively and in more detail the reality of care within facilities in both countries.     

Validity of the malnutrition screening tool for older adults at high risk of hospital readmission

Malnutrition is a serious problem in older adults, particularly for those at risk of hospital readmission. The essential step in managing malnutrition is early identification using a valid nutrition screening tool. The purpose of this study was to validate the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) in older adults at high risk of hospital readmission. Two RNs administered the MST to identify malnutrition risk and compared it with the comprehensive Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) to assess nutritional status for patients 65 and older who had at least one risk factor for hospital readmission. The MST demonstrates substantial sensitivity, specificity, and agreement with the SGA. These findings indicate that nursing staff can use the MST as a valid tool for routine screening and rescreening to identify patients at risk of malnutrition. Use of the MST may prevent hospital-acquired malnutrition in acute hospitalized older adults at high risk of readmission.     

Inter-rater reliability and Waterlow's pressure ulcer risk assessment tool

AIM: To ascertain whether a lack of inter-rater reliability with the original Waterlow (1996) pressure ulcer risk assessment scale is due to different perceptions of patients by nurses or different interpretations of Waterlow as a tool. METHOD: A sample of 110 qualified nurses, who used the Waterlow pressure ulcer risk assessment scale in their daily work and were delegates at five study days, were given a case study and an uncompleted copy of the tool. They were asked to complete a risk assessment for the patient. The risk assessment score obtained by delegates was analysed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test to measure the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference between the median of the nurses' scores and the patient's actual or 'gold standard' score. RESULTS: Nurses tend to over-rate (n=72, 65 per cent) rather than under-rate (n=25, 23 per cent) the patient's risk of developing a pressure ulcer. Only 13 of the 110 nurses (12 per cent) accurately rated the patient's score as 18. The Wilcoxon Test rejected the null hypothesis that there was no difference in the risk scores arrived at by individual nurses and the patient's actual score, that is, there is a significant difference between the scores obtained by the nurses in the study and the gold standard score. CONCLUSION: The results show poor inter-rater reliability when using the Waterlow pressure ulcer risk assessment scale. Part of the problem is that nurses are not using the tool in the way it was intended.     

血液透析患者的营养状况与护理干预

血液透析(简称血透)是终末期肾病患者常见的维持性治疗手段,血透患者存在相当高的营养不良发生率.国外诸多研究明确了营养不良发生原因,并就相关营养支持做了大量临床研究.美国、欧洲均已建立起较为成熟的针对透析患者的临床营养指南,就患者的营养筛查、营养评价工具及临床干预给出了较为明确的临床指导、建议及研究方向.国内有关营养干预的研究尚缺乏严格设计的前瞻性临床随机对照研究.护理人员在血透患者营养支持中的作用非常重要.为了提高护理人员对营养支持的认知,更好地为血透患者提供营养支持,对血透患者营养支持的现状与护理干预进行综述.