Introducing a nutritional risk screening tool in a South African hospital
| Autor: | Ndhlovu, Lesego, De Maayer, Tim |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2023 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition; Vol. 35 No. 2 (2022); 44–50 |
| ISSN: | 1607-0658 2221-1268 |
| Popis: | Background : Nutritional screening facilitates the early identification of hospitalised children at risk of malnutrition. Screening tools have scarcely been evaluated in the developing world where the burden of malnutrition is greatest.Methods:A retrospective study was undertaken of 113 patients admitted to the general paediatric wards at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. Children 6 months to 14 years old were screened for malnutrition using anthropometry and correlating WHO z-scores, and retrospectively assessed for nutritional risk using a modified STAMP (mSTAMP).Results : The mSTAMP identified additional patients at nutritional risk. The majority (87%) of children with normal anthropometry scored as medium and high risk using the mSTAMP. Weight loss and length of hospital stay (LOS) were higher in medium and high risk groups: One (5%) low risk child lost weight, compared with 8 (38%) medium and 12 (57%) high risk children (p = 0.021). Low risk children had a median LOS of two and half days (IQR 1–8) compared with medium and high risk groups, with medians of three (IQR 3–8) and six (IQR 4–9) days respectively (p = 0.04).Conclusion : The mSTAMP identified more children at risk of malnutrition who may not have been considered for nutritional therapy during the hospital stay using anthropometry screening alone. There is a place for nutritional risk screening in developing world settings, but tools may need to be modified locally. Further studies and validation of these tools in sub-Saharan Africa seem prudent and may result in improved nutrition and outcomes of hospitalised children. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|