title: Nurses' Perceptions Regarding the Prevalence, Detection, and Causes of Malnutrition in Canadian Hospitals: Results of a Canadian Malnutrition Task Force Survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Given the high prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized patients, nurses frequently encounter patients with significantly impaired nutrition status. The objective of this study was to determine nurses' attitudes and perceptions regarding the prevalence, detection, and causes of malnutrition in Canadian tertiary care and community hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this descriptive study, a survey that focused on guidelines for nutrition support of hospitalized patients was completed by Canadian nurses working on medical and surgical wards in 11 hospitals participating in the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The survey was completed by 346 of 723 nurses (response rate 48%). Over 50% of nurses underestimated the documented prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized patients. Nurses considered identification of malnourished patients very relevant (mean 8.4 on a 10-point scale) and would integrate a 3-question nutrition screen into their admission histories (92.5%). Nurses perceived lack of assistance with eating as a significant contributor to hospital malnutrition (17% felt this was a major contributor). While only 39% of nurses reported access to nutrition-related education, 92% were interested in receiving this form of updating.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nurses consider nutrition assessment important and relevant and require access to training to improve their capacity to detect malnutrition in their patients. Nurses are vital to the nutrition care of hospitalized patients and are well positioned to screen for nutrition risk and assist in nutrition management. The role of nurses in nutrition care needs to be linked to hospital policy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada duerksn@cc.umanitoba.ca.
authors.forename: Donald R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Duerksen
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada.
authors.forename: Heather H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Relations & Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vesnaver
authors.affiliation: Clinical Nutrition Department, Vitalité Health Network, Campbellton, New Brunswick.
authors.forename: Manon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laporte
authors.affiliation: St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Khursheed
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jeejeebhoy
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Payette
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
authors.forename: Leah
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gramlich
authors.affiliation: Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec.
authors.forename: Paule
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bernier
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Johane P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Allard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006760:Hospitalization; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009752:Nutritional Status; D018529:Nutritional Support; D015995:Prevalence
keywords: assistance with eating; hospitalized patients; malnutrition; nurses; nutrition assessment; nutrition education; nutrition screening