Inpatient Nutritional Screening: The Need for a Multi-disciplinary Team Approach. 475:

Nutrition screening is an integral part of the evaluation of the pediatric patient. In many institutions, this screening is performed by dietitians who may not have specialized pediatric training. Two pilot surveys analyzed nutritional status using information available in charts at admission to Babies & Children's Hospital. This evaluation was done for a period of one week on two separate occasions, 3 months apart. These patient charts were reviewed for height, weight age, diagnosis, and nutritional status. We subsequently undertook a 6-month Malnutrition Screening Program in which all patients admitted to our institution were screened and treated by a multi-disciplinary team comprised of nurses, nutritionists, and physicians. Nutritional status was based upon the Waterlow Classification.Table The Malnutrition Screening Program had a major impact upon the collection of adequate data for the identification of an at-risk population, and the provision of appropriate intervention. Our data indicates the need for a comprehensive approach to nutritional screening of pediatric hospital admissions.