BAPEN has announced the launch of a new Malnutrition Self-Screening Tool designed to help combat malnutrition.
The web-based Tool, which is free to use, is designed to help adults living in the community to identify their own risk of malnutrition. It is based on weight status and history of weight loss, using the criteria already incorporated into the ‘Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool’ (‘MUST’).
Individuals identified as being at risk of malnutrition, can download a dietary advice sheet that gives them basic information and suggestions for improving their nutritional intake, until they receive further advice from a healthcare professional. This dietary advice sheet which was developed as a consensus recommendation by a wide range of professional organisations and originates from the ‘Malnutrition Pathway’, provides guidance to GPs and other healthcare professionals on the management of malnutrition in the community.
“Carers UK welcomes the launch of BAPEN’s new Malnutrition Self-Screening Tool. Research conducted by Carers UK among families caring for a loved one who is sick, disabled or chronically ill, showed that around one in eight of those being cared for were at risk of malnutrition and their families were worried about what to do about diet and nutrition. The research also highlighted that many people hadn’t always been given the right nutritional information or advice. A simple tool which anyone can access is a great way to raise awareness of the risk of malnutrition and to get families asking the right questions so that they can get the right support making everyone healthier and more confident as a result,” said Emily Holzhausen, director of policy and public affairs, Carers UK
The BAPEN Malnutrition Self-Screening Tool was also welcomed by the British Dietetic Association. Andy Burman, British Dietetic Association CEO, commented; “This represents a major development and, for the first time on line, enables patients to identify malnutrition in themselves and then take appropriate steps to treat it.”
The new Malnutrition Self-Screening Tool can be accessed at www.malnutritionselfscreening.org
