A new screening tool for malnutrition has been launched by the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) at its annual conference.
According to a malnutrition advisory group (a working party of BAPEN, which produced the screening tool), malnutrition is often overlooked in the United Kingdom and is considered to be a minor problem in comparison with overnutrition. However, in an average parliamentary constituency of 90,000 people, up to 5,000 are at risk of malnutrition and this includes 980 people over 60 years of age, the group says.
Speaking at the launch of the guidelines, Dr Marinos Elia (honorary consultant physician, Addenbrookes hospital, Cambridge and chairman of the advisory group) said: "What we have here is a huge public health problem. Between 14 and 40 per cent of the 12 million patients admitted to hospital wards each year are underweight, with a body mass index below 20. Frequently, they are discharged back into the community in a more malnourished state than when they were admitted."The screening tool, together with its supporting guidelines, was simple and easy to use and allowed identification of malnourished patients in about two minutes, Dr Elia added.
Validated in both hospital and community settings, the tool was based on an assessment of height, weight and recent weight loss and categorised people according to low, medium and high risk.
The tool is to be distributed to health professionals, primary care groups and trusts and health authorities. — Contributed.