Malnutrition In Nursing

This assignment will discuss a trust adapted version of the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). It will demonstrate an understanding of theoretical knowledge used to develop the assessment tool. The assignment will focus on three components within the tool; discussing the reliability and validity when used in a clinical environment. A reflection of my own experience using the tool will be included and linked to aspects of reliability. Any issues with reliability will be identified and suggestions given on how they can be corrected to aid future use.

What nutrients are and how they affect our body, malnutrition, deficiency etc. The guidelines which determine nutritional health including dietary reference values (DRV), what a balanced diet is and how to maintain this, what BMI is and how to calculate it, the eat well plate, I will explain possible influences on dietary intake, assess how these influences may affect the nutritional health of individuals and I will also make realistic recommendations for minimising the impact of negative influences on individuals in a specific health and social care setting.

In recent years, there has been research involving the causes and consequences of poor nutrition among the elderly. Researchers continually work to distinguish risk factors of inadequate nutrition; the factors of most concern are “poor appetite, functional limitations, limited income, and social isolation” (Lirette, Podovennikoff, Wismer, Tondu, Klatt, 2007). Individuals at highest risk are those who live at home with a lack of family support (Krondl, Coleman, Lau, 2008). The diets of many elderly people are often low in calories and lacking important nutrients. All of these factors can affect the health and quality of life in the older adult. Nutrition plays a significant role in the health of

Nutrition is essential for the whole being of the individual. The body needs nutrients to be healthy and fight off acute illnesses and infections. Mauk (2014) stated that “elderly clients may be at increased risk for poor nutrition due to the fact that they have multiple chronic illnesses… that can interfere with their

Increased mortality rate (incidence of mortality of malnourished patients at 1 year being nearly 30% in 1 Australian study8)

“Nutritional status is measured using evidence-based Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), which takes into consideration the patient’s height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and recent unplanned weight loss to determine the overall risk score and category of malnutrition” (Leaker, 2013, The Role of Nutrition in Preventing Pressure Ulcers, para 11). I will use this assessment on my patients to determine the proper action I should take: Should I educate my patient to eat more proteins if they have a low BMI? Do I need to find nutritional supplements for my patients so that their nutritional needs are met? In addition to the MUST assessment, I will perform a visual assessment documenting any present edema, signs of dehydration, dysphagia, and other things that are proven risks for malnutrition that can later lead to the development of pressure ulcers. The article notates that putting patients in an upright position to eat, providing snacks throughout the day, and sticking to a meal schedule on a daily basis can promote good nutrition as well (Leaker, 2013). If I feel that there is nothing else that I can do to ensure my patients are reaching their maximum nutritional status, I will

Mr. Basset is an 80 year old man who is widowed. His wife did most of the cooking and now with no one available to cook meals for him, he is not receiving his daily average of vitamins and nutrients. Also, due to the chemotherapy and medications Mr. Basset is receiving, the interaction of food and drugs is contributing to his malnutrition. There are multiple effects with food and drug interactions that can affect elderly patients for example, loss of appetite, prevent medications from working, cause a side effect to get worse or cause new side effects. Lastly, because Mr. Basset has complained about his ill-fitting dentures, this as well is a reason to his malnutrition. It makes it harder for Mr. Basset to chew and swallow his food.

Malnutrition is when the body doesn’t receive enough nutrients for proper function. Undernutrition is when one’s body could be underweight, too short for their age, or excessively thin and “receiving fewer calories than the minimum dietary energy requirement” (Withcott & Laposata, 2012). Overnutrition is a form of malnutrition but comes from eating too much, eating junk, lack of physical activities or just eating the wrong foods and the intake too many supplements. “Overnutrition leads to unhealthy weight gain, which leads to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other health problems” (Withcott & Laposata, 2012). One is of the opinion that overnutrition is the most common in the United States. In our textbook by Withcott & Laposata, in the

When dealing with elderly people not only do you have to worry about their nutrition ,you also have to worry about the physical , social , mental and obviously the nutrition needs of an elderly person.

Mini Nutritional Assessment. This scale is selected as the patient has an unintentional weight loss of 18. At the age of 65, the nutritional intake is an important aspect of the self-care. The specific screening scale selected is the Mini Nutritional Assessment short form (MNA-SF). This scale was designed for individuals that are at risk for malnutrition by screening for food intake, weight, mobility, psychological stress, neurological problems, BMI, and calf circumference (Simsek et al., 2014). With this, the rationale is to identify the problematic areas for interventions.

The nursing diagnosis is knowledge deficit related to dietary modifications, as evidenced by inadequate selection menu choices. A plan of treatment is to teach how to follow a low calorie diet. This is important because controlling the intake of calories decreases the amount of glucose in the blood. Furthermore, the body is unable to utilize the glucose because of the insulin deficiency or insulin resistance, leading the tissues to increase the metabolism of protein and fat. Another nursing diagnosis is imbalance nutrition related to insulin deficiency, as evidenced by an increase of ketones on laboratory analysis and muscle wasting. The plan of treatment is to revise the diet plan and create a balanced nutrition incorporating food preferences. Having diet restrictions can be difficult enough to plan a meal; and what good is a meal if the person will not enjoy or eat it. Therefore, it is important to do a good assessment of their food likes and dislikes for a successful meal

To remain healthy, we need to consume the proper number of calories and the right amount of nutrients. Many seniors face a difficult time meeting their nutritional goals due to a number of internal and external challenges.

independent diagnostic criterion for severe acute malnutrition was necessary. A higher cut-off of 115 mm was recommended as it will identify more infants and children as having severe acute malnutrition and still have a high specificity of more than 99% over the age range 6–60 months1.

      Physiological changes and changes in nutritional requirements are not the only cause of elderly malnutrition.  Illness and physical limitations often affect nutritional status, as 19.7% of people over age 65 have at least one disability and 28.8% reported a limitation caused by a chronic condition (9).  For

For most us Americans, knowing when we’re going to eat next is something we very rarely think of, and when we do think about being hungry we still know where our food is coming from. Three big meals a day, and a few snacks in between, is how most of us live. It’s hard for us to imagine what its like for those who go days eating very little or nothing at all. But unfortunately that’s how it is for most of the world and surprisingly it happens in the United Sates as well. There are many reasons malnutrition can happen, and it happens to every age group. Even though there are many ways to treat it, in the