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Essential Assessment
Poor nutrition and malnutrition take a toll on human health and well being, particularly for individuals who are most vulnerable—older adults and the ill. In all cases, poor nutrition or malnutrition needs to be evaluated. Nutritional assessment is the measurement of indicators of dietary or nutrition-related factors to identify the presence, nature, and extent of impaired nutritional status of any type, and to obtain the information needed for intervention, planning, and improvement of nutritional care.
Assessment Tools
Thorough assessments can be completed efficiently to assist in designing appropriate nutrition care plans. If risk is identified, the patient must undergo a more intensive nutritional assessment to determine whether he or she is experiencing health consequences of malnutrition and when present, to quantify the severity of these effects. Therefore, nutritional assessment should include a medical history and a physical examination.
Subjective Global Assessment (SGA)
Oral nutritional supplementation is highly beneficial and recommended for the dietary management of patients identified as being at risk of or having malnutrition.
Abbott’s Commitment
As science evolves, new techniques to evaluate nutritional status, quality of life, and impact on medical outcomes are developed. Abbott Nutrition will continue to invest in clinical research to support the Ensure product family, meeting health care professionals’ and patients’ needs by using science to improve nutrition.
Three Steps to Good Care:
- Screening
- Assessment
- Intervention
Many studies show that these three main steps are the key components of good nutrition health care: They are cost-effective measures that may improve outcomes and reduce health care costs.