5
Screening and Assessment
Initial Screening
• Patients with diabetic foot ulcers seen in ambulatory settings may be
considered to be of adequate nutritional status when in reality, that is not
the case and further screening and assessment would indicate this.
• Healthcare providers should develop and implement a formalized nutrition
screening and assessment protocol to help identify patients with or at risk
of malnutrition.
• The goal of nutrition screening is early identification of patients at risk for
malnutrition.
• There are numerous validated nutrition screening tools (See Table 2).
• Selecting the appropriate tool depends upon the population and the
available resources.
Table 2. Nutrition Screening and Assessment Tools
Screening Assessment
Nutritional Risk Index (NRI) Patient-Centered Subjective Global
Assessment (PG-SGA)
Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool
(MUST)
Nutrition Focused Physical Assessment
(NFPA)
Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA)
Assessment
• If an initial screening suggests an increased risk for malnutrition, the next
step should be a thorough nutrition assessment.
• In addition to the initial assessment, return visits should be scheduled
regularly. These visits should include sufficient time for the care team
to assess adherence and make appropriate adjustments to patient's
individualized care plan.
