Overview
Introduction
Nutrition screening is a short, validated first pass that identifies an adult inpatient who may be at nutrition risk; it is not the same as diagnosing malnutrition or completing...
Nutrition screening is a short, validated first pass that identifies an adult inpatient who may be at nutrition risk; it is not the same as diagnosing malnutrition or completing a comprehensive nutrition assessment. The Canadian Nutrition Screening Tool (CNST) asks two validated questions about unintentional weight loss and eating less than usual. Complete screening within 24 hours of hospital admission, record each response, and act on a positive result. A positive screen requires a registered dietitian's comprehensive assessment, such as Subjective Global Assessment, begun within 24–48 hours. For patients aged 55 years or older, SCREEN-3 Extended may be used when included in the approved workflow; a cumulative score of 4 or more indicates high nutrition risk. The tool-specific criteria here apply to adults; pediatric patients need age-appropriate screening processes.