Acquisition and utilisation of anthropometric measurements on admission in a paediatric hospital before and after the introduction of a malnutrition screening tool

Milani, S., Wright, C., Purcell, O., Macleod, I. and Gerasimidis, K. (2013) Acquisition and utilisation of anthropometric measurements on admission in a paediatric hospital before and after the introduction of a malnutrition screening tool. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 26(3), pp. 294-297. (doi: 10.1111/jhn.12083)

Abstract

<p>Background: Acquisition of anthropometric measurements and assessment of growth in paediatric inpatients remains poor. The introduction of malnutrition screening tools that incorporate weight and height/length measurements might improve their acquisition and utilisation in other aspects of patient care.</p> <p>Methods: Documentation of weight and/length measurements and their plotting on growth charts was evaluated using a case notes review in paediatric inpatients who were admitted before (n = 146), during (n = 154) and after the pilot (n = 151) and official (n = 128) clinical use of a screening tool.</p> <p>Results: Documentation of weight was high in all periods (> 97% of patients). Height/length measurement documentation was negligible (4% of patients) but improved after the introduction of the screening tool (>< 62%; P < 0.0001), except in infants, who were not part of the screening programme.</p> <p>Conclusions: Introduction of a screening tool improved the acquisition of anthropometric measurements by nursing staff, although its utilisation by medical staff remained poor.</p>

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gerasimidis, Professor Konstantinos
• Authors: Milani, S., Wright, C., Purcell, O., Macleod, I., and Gerasimidis, K.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
• Journal Name: Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics
• ISSN: 0952-3871
• ISSN (Online): 1365-277X
• Published Online: 08 April 2013