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Cited by 485Clinical Nutrition and GastroenterologyNutrition and Health in AgingDietetics, Nutrition, and Education

Nutritional Risk Screening and Assessment

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Reber, Emilie, Gomes, Filomena, Vasiloglou, Maria F., Schuetz, Philipp, Stanga, Zeno·2019·Journal of Clinical Medicine
DOI 10.3390/jcm8071065PMC PMC6679209
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Abstract

Malnutrition is an independent risk factor that negatively influences patients’ clinical outcomes, quality of life, body function, and autonomy. Early identification of patients at risk of malnutrition or who are malnourished is crucial in order to start a timely and adequate nutritional support. Nutritional risk screening, a simple and rapid first-line tool to detect patients at risk of malnutrition, should be performed systematically in patients at hospital admission. Patients with nutritional risk should subsequently undergo a more detailed nutritional assessment to identify and quantify specific nutritional problems. Such an assessment includes subjective and objective parameters such as medical history, current and past dietary intake (including energy and protein balance), physical examination and anthropometric measurements, functional and mental assessment, quality of life, medications, and laboratory values. Nutritional care plans should be developed in a multidisciplinary approach, and implemented to maintain and improve patients’ nutritional condition. Standardized nutritional management including systematic risk screening and assessment may also contribute to reduced healthcare costs. Adequate and timely implementation of nutritional support has been linked with favorable outcomes such as a decrease in length of hospital stay, reduced mortality, and reductions in the rate of severe complications, as well as improvements in quality of life and functional status. The aim of this review article is to provide a comprehensive overview of nutritional screening and assessment methods that can contribute to an effective and well-structured nutritional management (process cascade) of hospitalized patients.

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  • Clinical signs alone are not diagnostic; however, when interpreted alongside biochemical, dietary, and anthropometric data, they contribute to a comprehensive and accurate evaluation of the patient's nutritional status.

    “It is important to highlight that clinical signs alone are not diagnostic; however, when interpreted alongside biochemical, dietary, and anthropometric data, they contribute to a comprehensive and accurate evaluation of the patient's nutritional status [30].”

    From The Seven Methods for the Evaluation of Nutritional Status—ABCDEFG: Narrative Review (2026) · cites this paper as [30]

  • Physical signs, though nonspecific, gain diagnostic value when correlated with biochemical and dietary data.

    “This synthesis converges with the evidence presented by Milbar et al. [155], who noted that physical signs, though nonspecific, gain diagnostic value when correlated with biochemical and dietary data [30].”

    From The Seven Methods for the Evaluation of Nutritional Status—ABCDEFG: Narrative Review (2026) · cites this paper as [30]

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Reber, E., Gomes, F., Vasiloglou, M. F., Schuetz, P., & Stanga, Z.
Affiliations
  • University of Bern (CH)
  • New York Academy of Sciences (US)
  • Medical University Department, Division of General Internal and Emergency Medicine, Kantonsspital Aarau, Tellstrasse 25, 5000 Aarau, Switzerland
Corresponding author
Reber, Emilie
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Clinical Medicine
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2019-07-20
Volume
8
Issue
7
Pages
1065
ISSN
2077-0383 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/jcm8071065
PMC
PMC6679209
OpenAlex
W2963680203
Cited by
485
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 30 · 2025: 84 · 2024: 89 · 2023: 82 · 2022: 96 · 2021: 68 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 5
FWCI
6.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Clinical Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Bern Open Repository and Information System (University of Bern) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Open Access CRIS of the University of Bern
Funders
Nestlé Health Science
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Clinical Nutrition and Gastroenterology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nutrition and Health in Aging
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Health Information Management › Dietetics, Nutrition, and Education
Keywords
nutritional risk screening, nutritional assessment, malnutrition, hospitalized patients, nutritional support, anthropometry, dietary intake, length of hospital stay, health care costs

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