Validity of nutrition screening tools for risk of malnutrition among hospitalized adult patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUNDS & AIMS: Malnutrition is prevalent among hospitalized patients in developed countries, contributing to negative health outcomes and increased healthcare costs. Timely identification and management of malnutrition are crucial. The lack of a universally accepted definition and standardized diagnostic criteria for malnutrition has led to the development of various screening tools, each with varying validity. This complicates early identification of malnutrition, hindering effective intervention strategies. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to identify the most valid and reliable nutritional screening tool for assessing the risk of malnutrition in hospitalized adults. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify validation studies published from inception to November 2023, in the Pubmed/MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL databases. This systematic review was registered in INPLASY (INPLASY202090028). The risk of bias and quality of included studies were assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies version 2 (QUADAS-2). Meta-analyses were performed for screening tools accuracy using the symmetric hierarchical summary receiver operative characteristics models. RESULTS: Of the 1646 articles retrieved, 60 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review, and 21 were included in the meta-analysis. A total of 51 malnutrition risk screening tools and 9 reference standards were identified. The meta-analyses assessed four common malnutrition risk screening tools against two reference standards (Subjective Global Assessment [SGA] and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism [ESPEN] criteria). The Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) vs SGA had a sensitivity (95% Confidence Interval) of 0.84 (0.73-0.91), and specificity of 0.85 (0.75-0.91). The MUST vs ESPEN had a sensitivity of 0.97 (0.53-0.99) and specificity of 0.80 (0.50-0.94). The Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) vs SGA had a sensitivity of 0.81 (0.67-0.90) and specificity of 0.79 (0.72-0.74). The Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) vs ESPEN had a sensitivity of 0.99 (0.41-0.99) and specificity of 0.60 (0.45-0.73). The Nutrition Universal Screening Tool-2002 (NRS-2002) vs SGA had a sensitivity of 0.76 (0.58-0.87) and specificity of 0.86 (0.76-0.93). CONCLUSIONS: The MUST demonstrated high accuracy in detecting malnutrition risk in hospitalized adults. However, the quality of the studies included varied greatly, possibly introducing bias in the results. Future research should compare tools within a specific patient population using a valid and universal gold standard to ensure improved patient care and outcomes.

Principales etiquetas diagnósticas enfermeras y diagnósticos médicos en una unidad hospitalaria de enfermedades infecciosas / Main nursing diagnostic labels and medical diagnoses in a hospital unit of infectious diseases

Objetivo: identificar las principales etiquetas diagnósticas de Enfermería (EDE) y los principales diagnósticos médicos motivo de ingreso en una Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, y establecer la asociación de las EDE con el sexo, la edad y los días de ingreso en el momento de recogida de datos.Método: estudio descriptivo transversal. Se anotó la edad, el sexo, el número de días de ingreso en el momento de la recogida de datos, el diagnóstico médico motivo de ingreso y las EDE presentes en el momento de la recopilación de datos. Dicha recogida de datos se realizó un día aleatorio al mes durante 11 meses. Se emplearon las pruebas de U de Mann-Whitney, T de Student y Chi cuadrado para analizar diferencias.Resultados: se identificaron las EDE tras la valoración de 136 pacientes: un 58,1% era hombre, la edad media fue 57,9 (DE: 18,1) años. Las EDE más habituales fueron: Riesgo de infección (66,2%) y Déficit de autocuidado: baño (40,4%). Se observaron diferencias según sexo en la Disposición para mejorar el autocuidado (p= 0,028) y la Incontinencia urinaria (p= 0,032), entre otros. Se observaron diferencias con la edad en el Déficit de autocuidado: baño y en el Deterioro de la movilidad física entre otros (p< 0,05). Al inicio del ingreso se dio más Riesgo de confusión aguda (p= 0,003) y, en los más prolongados, Riesgo de úlcera por presión (p= 0,003). Los diagnósticos médicos más frecuentes fueron: celulitis (10,3%) y neumonía (8,8%).Conclusiones: las EDE tienen una baja asociación con el sexo y la duración del ingreso, pero tienen una gran asociación con la edad.(AU)

Objective: to identify the main Nursing diagnostic labels (NDLs) and the main medical diagnoses that lead to admission at an Infectious Diseases Unit, and to determine the association of said NDLs with gender, age, and days of hospitalization at the time of data collection.Method: a descriptive cross-sectional study; the data collected were: age, gender, number of hospitalization days at the time of data collection, the medical diagnosis leading to the admission, and the NDLs present at the time of data collection. Said data collection was conducted on a random day per month for 11 months. The Mann-Whitney U, Student’s T and Square Chi tests were used to analyze the differences.Results: NDLs were identified after assessing 136 patients: 58.1% were male, and their mean age was 57.9 (SD: 18.1) years. The most common NDLs were: Risk of infection (66.2%) and Self-Care Deficit: bathing (40.4%). Differences by gender were observed in: Willingness to improve self-care (p= 0.028) and Urinary Incontinence (p= 0.032), among others. Differences with age were observed in Self-Care Deficit: bathing, and in Deterioration in Physical Mobility, among others (p< 0.05). At the start of the hospitalization there was a higher Risk of Acute Confusion (p= 0.003), and in the longer hospital stays, Risk of Pressure Ulcers (p= 0.003). The most frequent medical diagnoses were: cellulitis (10.3%) and pneumonia (8.8%).Conclusions: NDLs have a low association with gender and hospital stay duration, but a high association with age.(AU)