title: Rapid and reliable self-screening for nutritional risk in hospital outpatients using an electronic system.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined an electronic nutritional self-screening procedure for feasibility and for reliability, rapidity, and ease of use by hospital outpatients.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred sixty consecutive patients (ages 18-87 y) attending a gastroenterology clinic measured their weight and height using a modified digital weight and height machine, which transmitted results to a computer. Following input of reported weight loss in the previous 3 mo to 6 mo, malnutrition risk by the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) was instantaneously calculated. The duration and ease of undertaking screening were noted. Screening also was undertaken by a health care professional.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the patients in the study, 21.3% were at risk for malnutrition (medium + high risk). There was perfect agreement (kappa = 1.00) between self-screening and health care professional screening, between test-retest self-screening, and between two methods of measuring height (facing toward and away from the stadiometer). A low within-patient coefficient of variation was found for measurement of weight (<0.2%), height (<0.35%) and body mass index (<0.4%), except for two measurements in which height was recorded before correct positioning of the sliding headpiece. The overall time to self-screen was 1.29 ± 0.57 min but it was 2.81 ± 0.92 min in those aged ≥ 75 y. Of the participants, 96.2% rated self-screening as very easy (71.9%) or easy (24.3%) and 3.8% (predominantly patients ages ≥ 75 y) difficult.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study provides evidence that electronic nutritional self-screening can be rapid, easy, reliable, and feasible in a clinical setting. Equipment specifically designed for self-screening and use in other types of patients and settings could facilitate appropriate and routine implementation of self-screening.
authors: Department of Dietetics Southampton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK.
authors: Paula
authors: P
authors: McGurk
authors: John M
authors: JM
authors: Jackson
authors: Marinos
authors: M
authors: Elia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012306:Risk; D012648:Self Care; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult