Screening Tools Used to Identify Malnutrition Risk in Hospitalized Children: Facts and Contradictions

Abstract

Malnutrition is an impaired nutritional state that develops when there is a deficiency or excess of energy, protein and other nutrients. Even if the nutritional status is normal in pediatric patients during hospitalization, the deterioration of the nutritional status due to the disease after hospitalization may lead to malnutrition. Nutritional screening is recommended for each patient within the first 24 hours after hospitalization to identify patients at risk for malnutrition and to systematically manage nutrition in hospitalized patients. Screening tools increase awareness of nutritional deterioration and the risk of developing malnutrition in hospitalized children. Although many components in existing screening tools are similar, the consistency between all screening tools is moderate due to the differences in the approaches used to evaluate the body component and in scoring. In determining the most appropriate screening tool for routine use in hospitalized children, it may be useful to pay attention to the clinical efficacy of the relevant screening tool and its practical applicability. This review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of screening tools used to define malnutrition risk in hospitalized children.