Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

Determining Nutritional Status

  • In order to determine whether a person who is identified to be at risk for malnutrition is in fact malnourished, the panel recommends that a health-care professional (most likely a registered dietitian) confirm the person’s nutritional status using a reliable and validated tool.
  • This assessment should occur as soon as possible after first examination (i.e., within 72 hours), whenever there is a change in the person’s health status, or when a person’s pressure injuries are not progressing toward healing.
  • When deemed necessary, assessment and referral to other interprofessional team members (e.g., a physician, dentist, denturist, speech language pathologist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, social worker) may be required to further assess, plan and alleviate, and/or modify factors contributing to a person’s malnutrition.
Clinical Management
Assessment and Management of Pressure Injuries for the Interprofessional Team, Third Edition
Point of Care Resources