Background: Malnutrition is related to an increased rate of complications and prolonged hospital stays. Malnutrition risk screening is recommended for all hospital inpatients, but its applicability as part of routine care is not well known.
Methods: The prevalence of malnutrition risk, measured by the Screening Tool for Risk of Impaired Nutritional Status and Growth (STRONGkids), and acute malnutrition were studied 1 day per year in all pediatric inpatient and day wards in 2015 and 2016 and in inpatients and outpatients in 2017 at a university hospital. Nurses carried out the STRONGkids screening and measured the weight and height of each child, recording the information in the hospital database, where it was subsequently extracted along with data on the child's diagnoses, procedures, and the length and costs of hospital stay.
Results: In all, 696/1217 patients (57.2%) were screened. Of inpatients and outpatients, 37/398 (9.3%) and 3/298 (1.0%), respectively, were classified as being at high risk of malnutrition. The corresponding figures for those who were acutely malnourished were 18/260 (6.9%) and 11/264 (4.2%). High risk of malnutrition increased the costs and length of hospital stay (P < .05). Dietetic input was involved during hospital stay in 12/37 (32.4%), 32/173 (18.5%), and 13/188 (6.9%) of inpatients at high, moderate, and low risk, respectively (P < .001). Nutrition risk screening did not detect all patients classified as acutely malnourished.
Conclusion: Hospitals need to ensure proper application of nutrition screening, develop a protocol for the care of children at nutrition risk, and monitor the use of this protocol.
Keywords: child; infant; malnutrition; nutrition assessment; nutrition screening; pediatrics.
© 2021 The Authors. Nutrition in Clinical Practice published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.