Published September 25, 2012 | Version v1
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Nutritional Risk Screening Tools in Hospitalised Children

  • 1. Department of Paediatrics, University of Otago (Christchurch), Christchurch, New Zealand

Description

In clinical practice, the assessment of nutritional status in children can be problematic. More than one indicator

is often required: these may include anthropometric measurements, body compartment analysis and biochemical

markers. The nutritional status of children at the time of admission to hospital can impact adversely on their hospital stay.

Furthermore, children’s medical conditions may also impact upon their nutrition during a hospital stay.

In recent years a number of Nutrition Risk Screening (NRS) tools have been developed and validated, with the goals of

providing rapid assessment of children’s risk of nutritional change during a hospitalisation. This article reviews the

current NRS tools, considers their benefits and shortcomings and evaluates the potential roles of these tools.

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References

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