Citation
(2006), "NICE", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 36 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2006.01736dab.022
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
NICE
NICE
The Nice guidelines were developed in collaboration with the National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care.
They recommend all hospital and care home patients should be weighed and measured on admission, and all outpatients should be similarly checked at their first clinic appointment.
Checks should be repeated weekly for inpatients, and where there is clinical concern for outpatients, say the guidelines.
Nice says specialised nutritional support should be considered for people who are malnourished. This is defined as:
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Having a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18.5. BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared.
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Unintentional weight loss greater than 10 per cent in the last three to six months
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A BMI of less than 20 coupled with unintentional weight loss greater than 5 per cent within the last three to six months.
It also recommends that nutrition support be considered for people at risk of malnutrition - such as those who have eaten little or nothing for more than five days, or who are unable to take in nutrients properly.
All acute hospitals are advised to employ at least one specialist nutrition support nurse.
Malnourished patients stay in hospital for longer, have a higher mortality rate and are three times as likely to develop complications during surgery.