NUTRITION ASSESSMENT

DR.RESHMA FAROOQ

Malnutrition in Hospitalized Patients

Consequences:
Poor wound healing Higher rate of infections Greater length of stay (readmission for elderly) Increased costs Increased morbidity and mortality Suboptimal surgical outcome

Nutrition Assessment

Collecting, integrating, and analyzing nutrition-related data

Including food-drug interactions, cultural, religious and ethnic food preferences, age related nutrition issues and the need for diet counseling

Dietitian to evaluate patients nutritional status and the extent of any malnutrition Data gathered will provide the objective basis for recommendations and evaluation of care Includes a chart review and patient interview

Purpose of Nutrition Assessment

Estimates functional status, diet intake and body composition compared to normal populations Body composition reflects calorie and protein needs Nutritional status predicts hospital morbidity, mortality, length of stay, cost Baseline body composition and biochemical markers determine if nutrition support is effective

Nutrition Screening

Includes height, weight, unintentional weight loss, change in appetite and serum albumin Data used to determine patients at nutritional risk and the need for a detailed assessment Nutrition care plan developed to reflect calorie, protein and other nutrient needs from the information collected Implement plan Monitor and revise as needed

Screening: Nutrition Care Indicators

Nutritional history

Appetite Nausea/vomiting (>3 days) Diarrhea Dysphagia Reduced food intake (<50% of normal for 5 days) TPN/PPN TF Diet restrictions >10 lbs in past 3 months

Feeding modality

Unintentional Weight Loss

Serum Albumin Diagnosis

Cachexia, end-stage liver or kidney disease, coma, malnutrition, decubitis ulcers, cancer of GI tract, Crohns, Cystic Fibrosis, new onset diabetes, eating disorder

Above used to determine nutritional risk and need for referral to RD

Components of Nutrition Assessment

Medical and social history Diet history and intake Clinical examination Anthropometrics Biochemical data

Medical and Social History

Gathered from chart review and patient interview Medical history: diagnosis, past medical and surgical history, pertinent medications, alcohol and drug use, bowel habits Psychosocial data: economic status, occupation, education level, living and cooking arrangements, mental status Other: age, sex, level of physical activity, daily living activities

Dietary History and Intake

Appetite and intake: taste changes, dentition, dysphagia, feeding independence, vitamin/mineral supplements Eating patterns: daily and weekend, diet restrictions, ethnicity, eating away from home, fad diets Estimation of typical calorie and nutrient intake: RDAs, Food Guide Pyramid

Obtain diet intake from 24-hour recall, food frequency questionnaire, food diary, observation of food intake

Diet Assessment

Evaluate what and how much person is eating, as well as habits, beliefs and social conditions that may put person at risk Usual intake
24 hr recall: retrospective, easy Food logs: prospective, requires motivation Food frequency questionnaire: general idea of how often foods are consumed

Compare to estimation of needs

Nutritional Questions for the Review of Systems

General
Usual adult weight Current weight Maximum, minimum weights Weight change 1 and 5 years prior Recent changes in weight and time period Recent changes in appetite or food tolerance Presence of weakness, fatigue, fever, chills, night sweats Recent changes in sleep habits, daytime sleepiness Edema and/or abnormal swelling

Nutritional Questions for the Review of Systems

Alimentary

Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting Changes in bowel pattern (normal or baseline) Diarrhea (consistency, frequency, volume, color, presence of cramps, food particles, fat drops) Difficulty swallowing (solids vs. liquids, intermittent vs. continuous) Early satiety Indigestion or heartburn Food intolerance or preferences Mouth sores (ulcers, tooth decay) Pain in swallowing Sore tongue or gums

Nutritional Questions for the Review of Systems

Neurologic
Confusion or memory loss Difficulty with night vision Gait disturbance Loss of position sense Numbness and/or weakness

Skin
Appearance of a diagnostic rash Breaking of nails Dry skin Hair loss, recent change in texture

Clinical Examination

Identifies the physical signs of malnutrition

Temporal wasting

Signs do not appear unless severe deficiencies exist Most signs/symptoms indicate two or more deficiencies Examples: see list attached

Hair: easily plucked, thin; protein or biotin deficiency Mouth: tongue fissuring (niacin), decreased taste/smell (zinc)

Anthropometrics

Inexpensive, noninvasive, easy to obtain, valuable with other parameters Height, weight and weight changes Segmental lengths, fat folds and various body circumferences and areas Repeated periodically to note changes Individuals serve as own standard Changes are not obvious for 3-4 weeks

Disadvantages of Anthropometrics

Intra and interobserver error Changes in composition of patients tissues Inaccurate application of raw data Measurements are evaluated by comparing them with predetermined reference limits that allow for classification into risk categories

Anthropometrics

Height-measured

Commonly overestimated in men and underestimated in women Estimates for bedridden or wheelchair bound

Arm span, recumbent length Knee-height with calipers

Weight-measured

Effect of fluid status

Edema and ascites falsely elevate weight

Weight history

Weight change over time

Anthropometrics

Ideal body weight

Males: 106 lbs + 6 lbs per inch over 5 ft Females: 100 lbs + 5 lbs per inch over 5 ft Add 10% for large-framed and subtract 10% for smallframed
80-90% mild malnutrition 70-79% moderate malnutrition 60-69% severe malnutrition <60% non-survival

%IBW = (current wt/IBW) X 100

Anthropometrics

%UBW: usual body weight

= (current wt/UBW) X 100 85-95% mild malnutrition 75-84% moderate malnutrition 0-74% severe malnutrition

% weight change = usual weight present weight/usual weight X 100 Significant weight loss

>5% in 1 month >10% in 6 months

Body Mass Index = BMI

Evaluation of body weight independent of height BMI = weight (kg)/height2 (m)

>40 30-40 25-30 18.5-25 17-18.4 16-16.9 <16

obesity III obesity II overweight normal PEM I PEM II PEM III

Health Risk and Central Obesity

Upper body obesity = increased risk Waist > 35 inches in females Waist > 40 inches in males Clinically significant for BMI 25-35 BMI >35 health risk high and not increased further by waist circumference

Biochemical Data

Used to assess body stores Altered by lack of nutrients, medications, metabolic changes during illness or stress Interpret results carefully Fluid status distorts results Stressed states (infection, surgery) effects results Use reference values established by individual lab

Visceral Proteins

Produced by the liver Affected by protein deficiency, but also renal and hepatic disease, wounds and burns, infections, zinc and energy deficiency, cancer, inflammation, hydration status, and stress

Albumin

Half life 14-21 days Normal value 3.5-5.0 g/DL Most widely used indicator of nutritional status Acute phase response: levels decrease in response to stress (infection, injury) Affected by volume

Increases with dehydration, decreases with edema and overhydration

Prealbumin

Better measure of nutritional status due to shorter half-life, ~2 days Normal value: 18-40 mg/DL Responds within days to nutritional repletion Levels affected by trauma, acute infections, liver and kidney disease; highly sensitive to minor stress and inflammation

Energy Needs

Quick rule of thumb Also calculated based on weight in kilograms and adjusted for activity level
25-30 kcal/kg for acute illness, minimally active, overweight, >80 Adjusted body weight 30-35 kcal/kg for young, active

Protein Needs

Determined based on clinical condition and body weight in kilograms Normal - RDA: 0.8 g/kg for adult Fever, fracture, infection, wound healing: 1.5-2.0 Protein repletion: 1.5-2.0 Burns: 1.5-3.0 Typically use range of 1.1-1.4 g/kg Decreased protein needs in acute renal failure Comparison of intake to needs will indicate intervention required

Subjective Global Assessment

Alternative method to assess nutritional status of hospitalized patients Combines information from the patients history with parts of a clinical exam

Subjective Global Assessment

History

Unintentional weight loss over the past 6 months Pattern and amount of weight loss is considered Weight change in past 2 weeks Weight of <5% is small, loss >10% is significant Dietary intake change (relative to normal) GI symptoms >2 weeks (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia) Functional capacity (energy level: daily activities, bedridden) Metabolic demands of primary condition noted

Subjective Global Assessment

Physical Exam Each feature is noted as normal, mild, moderate, or severe based on clinicians subjective impression
Loss of subcutaneous fat measures in the triceps and the mid-axillary line at the lower ribs Muscle wasting in the quadriceps and deltoid area Presence of edema in ankle or sacral region Presence of ascites

Case study-1
Steven is a 44 years-old male who is 5 ft 11inches tall and weighs 182 pounds. Over the last month ha has lost approximately 10 pounds, which he blames on loss of appetite and fatigues. When he went to her family doctor with flu-like symptoms, a blood test revealed a very a high white blood cell count, low platelets, and low hemoglobin. The doctor told him to proceed to the hospital for admission to rule out acute leukemia. Further lab tests are pending. His admitting orders include a regular diet. Steven does not have a significant medical history. He is married, has 3 children and enjoys a successful career. Calculate and evaluate Steven weight according to the following standards: BMI IBW/%of IBW Percent wt change Based on his wt and wt change, is he at nutritional risk? What other criteria would help determine his level of risk? Using the shortcut method to determine his caloric need, calculate his estimated caloric requirements. Calculate his RDA for protein.

MBI=Wt in Kg/ height in m2

IBWfor

5ft and 11 inches=106 +11x6 = 172 lbs

% 0f IBW= Current wt/IBW x100 182/172x100 = 105.81% He is in within normal range

Caloric need by rule of thumb Formula For elderly adults=25cal/kg For 44 year old 82.7272kg wt= 82.7272x25 =2068.18 calories RDA for protein=0.8g/kg =0.8x82.7272=66.1817g MCQ 1-Nurses are an ideal position to: a) Screen patients for risk of malnutrition b)Order therapeutic diets c)Conduct comprehensive nutrition assessments d) Calculate a patient's calories and protein needs

2- The ideal body weight of a male who is 5 ft 10 inches is: a) 150 lbs b)155lbs c) 160 lbs d)166lbs

3-Which of the following criteria would most likely be on a nutrition screen in the hospital? a)Prealbumin b)weight changes c) Serum potassium value d) Cultural food preference

4-Which of the following statements is inaccurate regarding physical signs and symptoms of malnutrition? a) Physical signs of malnutrition appear before changes in weight or laboratory values. b) Physical signs of malnutrition are suggestive, not definitive, for malnutrition c) Physical signs are easily identified as abnormal d)All races and genders exhibit the same intensity of physical changes in response to malnutrition. 5- Your patient has a question about the cardiac diet the dietition reviewed with him yesterday. What is the nurse's best response? a) Ask your doctor when you go to for your follow-up appointment b) What is the question? If I can not answer it. I will get the dietition to come back to answer it. c) Just do your best. The handout she gave you simply a list of guidelines, not rigid instructions. d) If I see the dietitian around, I will tell you need to see her.

6-Which of the following statement is true regarding albumin a) It is a reliable and sensitive indicator of protein status b) It is not widely available because it is expensive. c) It has short half life, so it change relatively quickly d) Low albumin is associated with increased length of hospital stay, complications, morbidity and mortality because martility reflects severity of illness.