Identifying geriatric malnutrition in nursing practice: the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA®)-an evidence-based screening tool.

Protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) is common and often undiagnosed in older adults. Left untreated, PCM carries both clinical and financial risks, including decreased quality of life, declining functionality, the inability to live independently, and increased health care costs. The prevalence of PCM in older adults calls for a systematic and standardized approach to nutrition screening that includes the use of a validated screening tool.

Frequency of malnutrition in older adults: a multinational perspective using the mini nutritional assessment.

Objectives: To provide pooled data on the prevalence of malnutrition in elderly people as evaluated using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA).

Design: Retrospective pooled analysis of previously published datasets.

Setting: Hospital, rehabilitation, nursing home, community.

Nutrition screening tools for hospitalized patients.

There is agreement among international nutrition organizations and healthcare accrediting organizations that nutrition screening is essential to identify patients needing further nutrition assessment to determine appropriate nutrition intervention. Numerous nutrition screening tools are used in hospitals, but many, if not most, have never been validated for the care setting, patient population, or outcome they strive to identify. Thus, it is unclear if they appropriately identify patients who truly need further nutrition assessment and, potentially, intervention.