title: Self-reported body weight and height on admission to hospital: a reliable method in multi-professional evidence-based nutritional care?
abstract: Screening patients' nutritional status on admission to hospital is recommended by evidence-based guidelines on malnutrition. In practice, self-reported values for body weight and height are often used by nurses and dieticians. This study assessed the accuracy of self-reported body weight and height and whether these self-reported values might be influenced by the nature of the health-care worker involved. Patients (n = 611) on admission reported their body weight and height to a nurse and a dietician. Reported values were analysed and compared with the measured values. Self-reported values for body weight and height on admission are not always accurate. Patients do report different values to different health-care workers. Self-reported values for body weight to nurses were more accurate as compared with dieticians. Self-reported values for body weight and height are subject to observer bias and should be used with caution in nutritional screening and multi-professional nutritional care.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research and Innovation in Care (CRIC), University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium. bart.geurden@ua.ac.be
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Geurden
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Franck
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Looy
authors.forename: Joost
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weyler
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ysebaert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001530:Belgium; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010343:Patient Admission; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report