In recent years, much effort has been directed at redefining malnutrition in the pediatric population to include the acute clinical population in addition to the more traditional ambulatory populations. In 2013, an expert panel convened to perform a critical review of available literature to craft a new approach to malnutrition. Closely thereafter, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition published recommended indicators for the identification and documentation of malnutrition in pediatric populations. The purpose of this article is to review the domains within the new definition of malnutrition in pediatric practice, describe populations in which the recommended indicators for identification and management are problematic in clinical practice, give case studies that apply the new definition, and finally describe the implementation of a malnutrition identification program within a large tertiary care children's hospital.
Keywords: child nutrition disorders; malnutrition; nutrition assessment; pediatrics.
© 2015 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.