Tag: Subjective global assessment

Malnutrition affects a significant portion of hospitalized patients, with one study finding a prevalence of undernutrition to be high, impacting recovery and increasing healthcare costs. Properly assessing the nutritional status of a patient is a systematic process critical for identifying deficiencies, guiding intervention, and improving overall patient outcomes.

According to the World Health Organization, every country in the world is affected by one or more forms of malnutrition. Understanding what are the criteria for diagnosis of malnutrition is therefore critical for healthcare professionals to ensure accurate identification and timely intervention for patients at risk.

According to research published by the NCBI, malnutrition is highly prevalent in hospital settings, with some studies estimating a prevalence of 30-50% in Western countries. The question of what is the best indicator to assess a patients nutrition is by measuring a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach, moving beyond the limitations of single-value markers.