Nurse-administered malnutrition screening tool improves access to nutrition care and malnutrition diagnoses

IF 2.6 Q3 NUTRITION & DIETETICS

Clinical nutrition ESPEN Pub Date : 2025-08-12 DOI:10.1016/j.clnesp.2025.07.1135

Jamie Olsen , Mary Chew , Janet Fawcett , Christina Badaracco

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background and aims

Malnutrition is common in hospitalized patients. Early identification and treatment can improve outcomes. The objective of the study was to determine the impacts of using a nurse-administered Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST).

Methods

This was a mixed-methods retrospective cohort study of 6163 patients admitted to a VA hospital for at least 48 h and screened for malnutrition risk from May 1, 2018, to March 1, 2020. Data was abstracted from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) and electronic surveys were administered to staff RNs and RDNs to evaluate perceptions. Alchemer and Excel were used to collect and assess clinician survey responses and care coordination. Mann–Whitney tests assessed outcome measures of changes in time from admission to malnutrition screening, assessment, diagnosis; number of nutrition assessments completed by RDNs.

Results

The time from admission to screening was reduced post-MST implementation [1.0 IQR (0.5, 2.4) to 14.6 IQR (9.6, 19) hours, p < 0.001]. The time to assessment increased [20.6 IQR (3.8, 29.5) to 34.1 IQR (16.6, 54.7) hours, p < 0.001], but the time to malnutrition diagnosis did not change [34.8 IQR (18.2, 47.8) vs. 28.1 IQR (17.3, 44.6) hours, p = 0.263]. The percentage of patients assessed increased from 4.8 % (164/3383) to 25.8 % (717/2780) (p < 0.001) and the percentage diagnosed with malnutrition increased from 5.3 % to 11 % (p < 0.001). Most registered nurses (RNs) felt that the MST improved quality of care, while RDNs did not. Most RNs reported that the MST was easy to use. The majority of RDNs felt their workflows improved. Both RNs and RDNs agreed that the process change improved collaboration.

Conclusion

MST implementation improved overall access to care. Findings from this study can be used to optimize resources to improve clinical workflows.

查看原文本刊更多论文

护士管理的营养不良筛查工具提高了获得营养护理和营养不良诊断的机会。

背景与目的：营养不良在住院患者中很常见。早期识别和治疗可以改善结果。本研究的目的是确定使用护士管理的营养不良筛查工具（MST）的影响。方法：这是一项混合方法回顾性队列研究，纳入了2018年5月1日至2020年3月1日期间在VA医院住院至少48小时并进行营养不良风险筛查的6163例患者。数据从VA公司数据仓库（CDW）中提取，并对员工注册护士和注册护士进行电子调查，以评估他们的看法。使用炼金术和Excel收集和评估临床医生的调查反应和护理协调。曼-惠特尼试验评估了从入院到营养不良筛查、评估和诊断的时间变化；由推荐营养师完成的营养评估数目。结果：MST实施后，从入院到筛查的时间从1.0 IQR（0.5, 2.4）缩短至14.6 IQR（9.6, 19）小时，结论：MST实施改善了整体护理可及性。本研究结果可用于优化资源以改善临床工作流程。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Clinical nutrition ESPEN NUTRITION & DIETETICS-

CiteScore

4.90

自引率

3.30%

发文量

512

期刊介绍： Clinical Nutrition ESPEN is an electronic-only journal and is an official publication of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN). Nutrition and nutritional care have gained wide clinical and scientific interest during the past decades. The increasing knowledge of metabolic disturbances and nutritional assessment in chronic and acute diseases has stimulated rapid advances in design, development and clinical application of nutritional support. The aims of ESPEN are to encourage the rapid diffusion of knowledge and its application in the field of clinical nutrition and metabolism. Published bimonthly, Clinical Nutrition ESPEN focuses on publishing articles on the relationship between nutrition and disease in the setting of basic science and clinical practice. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN is available to all members of ESPEN and to all subscribers of Clinical Nutrition.