Measurements of Nutrition Worksheet (Student)
Nutritional Intake – Ch. 12 pgs. 184-5
Parameters used for Nutritional Look at the height and the weight by history, or we can take serial measurements over time, such as weeks,
Screening months, or years. You can also look for trends and recognize if there’s any significance in their weight loss or
perhaps weight gain
Looking for conditions associated with increased nutritional risks. We want to recognized those patients who are
malnourished, who have issues with getting adequate nutrition. Some patient populations are at great risk, such
as those with chronic illness or patients who are on fixed income or who live in poverty. Or perhaps they’re
depressed. Malnutrition in our hospitalized patients is associated with negative outcomes, including increased
length of stay, increased readmission rates and increased mortality.
Laboratory data, you will learn about lab values and your foundations of nursing class. Certain labs will help us
discern if our patients are at nutritional risk. We can screen the blood for anemia, electrolyte imbalances,
dehydration, excess sugar in the blood called hyperglycemia, or perhaps too low blood sugar called
hypoglycemia. We can also screen the blood for protein levels.
There are several ways to obtain diet information from our patient. So, if a patient has inadequate food intake,
we can screen them using patient self-report or we can use an evidence-based tool to screen. There are various
screening tools that have been developed, the evidence-based practice tools. We are using science and
accumulated evidence over a period of years that has been verified and collaborated by multiple practitioners.
Types of Nutritional Assessments Understand the different types of tools used to collect dietary information
Used to gather Diet Information:
Evidence Based “Screening” Tools Mini nutritional assessment – this has been designed and validated for used in the elderly in the nursing home, often
called the long-term care setting, as well as in the community. Part of this assessment, the patient must report what they
have been eating by food groups. Another evidenced based tool is the malnutrition screening tool. This is used for adults
in acute care setting.
24-hour diet recall We will use this one with our standardized participant during our health history lab. Asking the patient about solid food
quantities and liquid types, and their quantities, the amounts, that they have over the last 24-hour period. The accuracy
of this method can be inaccurate because it depends on the dietary recall and it depends on the patient’s compliance.
And it’s only one typical day.
Food frequency questionnaire Food frequency tools or questionnaires like maybe MyFitnessPal or Choose my plate. These tools discuss how many
times a day or week or month the patient eats particular food groups. Types of foods and how frequently eaten, this is
the food frequency tool. This method doesn’t always quantify the amount of intake. It relies on the patient or the
patient’s family member to have good memory of how often food is consumed.
Food diary Patients are asked to write down all the foods and liquids they have consumed over a specific period of time. Three days
is typically used and is recommended to track two days during the workweek, Monday through Friday and only one on
the weekend. You must specifically tell your patients to do this. This gives us a glimpse both of the typical and atypical
eating patterns.
, Direct observation Direct observation is where the nurse observes a patient eating or perhaps assist someone to eat. With our own eyes we
can see. We can directly observe the patient’s ability to chew and swallow adequately, and we can see the amount of
effort it takes and how much food or liquid they actually intake. It is our responsibility to document food intake on each
and every meal, including liquids. With direct observation, the nurse can see their ability to chew. They can see if the
patient has any problems with dentures or loose teeth.
Nutritional Intake – Ch. 12 pgs. 184-5
Parameters used for Nutritional Look at the height and the weight by history, or we can take serial measurements over time, such as weeks,
Screening months, or years. You can also look for trends and recognize if there’s any significance in their weight loss or
perhaps weight gain
Looking for conditions associated with increased nutritional risks. We want to recognized those patients who are
malnourished, who have issues with getting adequate nutrition. Some patient populations are at great risk, such
as those with chronic illness or patients who are on fixed income or who live in poverty. Or perhaps they’re
depressed. Malnutrition in our hospitalized patients is associated with negative outcomes, including increased
length of stay, increased readmission rates and increased mortality.
Laboratory data, you will learn about lab values and your foundations of nursing class. Certain labs will help us
discern if our patients are at nutritional risk. We can screen the blood for anemia, electrolyte imbalances,
dehydration, excess sugar in the blood called hyperglycemia, or perhaps too low blood sugar called
hypoglycemia. We can also screen the blood for protein levels.
There are several ways to obtain diet information from our patient. So, if a patient has inadequate food intake,
we can screen them using patient self-report or we can use an evidence-based tool to screen. There are various
screening tools that have been developed, the evidence-based practice tools. We are using science and
accumulated evidence over a period of years that has been verified and collaborated by multiple practitioners.
Types of Nutritional Assessments Understand the different types of tools used to collect dietary information
Used to gather Diet Information:
Evidence Based “Screening” Tools Mini nutritional assessment – this has been designed and validated for used in the elderly in the nursing home, often
called the long-term care setting, as well as in the community. Part of this assessment, the patient must report what they
have been eating by food groups. Another evidenced based tool is the malnutrition screening tool. This is used for adults
in acute care setting.
24-hour diet recall We will use this one with our standardized participant during our health history lab. Asking the patient about solid food
quantities and liquid types, and their quantities, the amounts, that they have over the last 24-hour period. The accuracy
of this method can be inaccurate because it depends on the dietary recall and it depends on the patient’s compliance.
And it’s only one typical day.
Food frequency questionnaire Food frequency tools or questionnaires like maybe MyFitnessPal or Choose my plate. These tools discuss how many
times a day or week or month the patient eats particular food groups. Types of foods and how frequently eaten, this is
the food frequency tool. This method doesn’t always quantify the amount of intake. It relies on the patient or the
patient’s family member to have good memory of how often food is consumed.
Food diary Patients are asked to write down all the foods and liquids they have consumed over a specific period of time. Three days
is typically used and is recommended to track two days during the workweek, Monday through Friday and only one on
the weekend. You must specifically tell your patients to do this. This gives us a glimpse both of the typical and atypical
eating patterns.
, Direct observation Direct observation is where the nurse observes a patient eating or perhaps assist someone to eat. With our own eyes we
can see. We can directly observe the patient’s ability to chew and swallow adequately, and we can see the amount of
effort it takes and how much food or liquid they actually intake. It is our responsibility to document food intake on each
and every meal, including liquids. With direct observation, the nurse can see their ability to chew. They can see if the
patient has any problems with dentures or loose teeth.
