The Norwegian Directorate of Health recommends malnutrition screening tool (MST) for all adults

Ingvild Paur; Guro Berge Smedshaug; Brita Haugum; Asta Bye; Erlend Eliassen; Trine Linn Flottorp; Hanne J Juul; Morten Mowe; Tove Nakken; Stephan Ore; Gry Kirsti Sirevåg; Kari Sygnestveit; Lene Thoresen; Ellinor Bakke Aasen; Torunn Holm Totland; Henriette Walaas Krogh

doi:10.1016/j.clnesp.2022.09.029

The Norwegian Directorate of Health recommends malnutrition screening tool (MST) for all adults

Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2022 Dec:52:28-31. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2022.09.029. Epub 2022 Oct 1.

Authors

Ingvild Paur¹, Guro Berge Smedshaug², Brita Haugum², Asta Bye³, Erlend Eliassen⁴, Trine Linn Flottorp⁵, Hanne J Juul⁶, Morten Mowe⁷, Tove Nakken⁸, Stephan Ore⁹, Gry Kirsti Sirevåg¹⁰, Kari Sygnestveit¹¹, Lene Thoresen¹², Ellinor Bakke Aasen¹³, Torunn Holm Totland¹⁴, Henriette Walaas Krogh²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Non-Communicable Diseases, Division of Prevention and Public Health, Norwegian Directorate of Health, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Advisory Unit on Disease-related Undernutrition, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Dept. of Clinical Services, Division of Cancer Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Non-Communicable Diseases, Division of Prevention and Public Health, Norwegian Directorate of Health, Oslo, Norway.
³ Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway; European Palliative Care Research Centre (PRC), Dept. of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, And Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Association of Nutrition Science, Oslo, Norway.
⁴ Nygaard Nursing Home, Sandefjord Municipality, Norway; Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees, Oslo, Norway.
⁵ Norwegian Patient Safety Programme [I Trygge Hender 24/7], Oslo, Norway; Primary Health Service, Dept. of Home Care Services, Sandefjord Municipality, Norway.
⁶ Norwegian Advisory Unit on Disease-related Undernutrition, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Dept. of Clinical Services, Division of Cancer Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
⁷ Division of Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Medical Association, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Oslo, Norway.
⁸ User Representative, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
⁹ Lovisenberg Omsorg, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Association of Old Age and Nursing Home Medicine, Oslo, Norway.
¹⁰ Norwegian Patient Safety Programme [I Trygge Hender 24/7], Oslo, Norway; Department of Home Care Services and Rehabilitation, Time Municipality, Norway.
¹¹ Norwegian Advisory Unit on Disease-related Undernutrition, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
¹² Norwegian Advisory Unit on Disease-related Undernutrition, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Oncology Clinic, St. Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway; Norwegian Association of Clinical Dietitians Affiliated with the Norwegian Association of Researchers, Oslo, Norway.
¹³ Norwegian Patient Safety Programme [I Trygge Hender 24/7], Oslo, Norway; Centre for Development of Institutional and Home Care Services, Vestfold and Telemark County, Norway; Primary Health Service, Dept. of Nursing Homes, Sandefjord Municipality, Norway; Norwegian Nurses Organization, Oslo, Norway.
¹⁴ Department of Non-Communicable Diseases, Division of Prevention and Public Health, Norwegian Directorate of Health, Oslo, Norway; Department of Physical Health and Ageing, Division of Mental and Physical Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.

PMID: 36513467
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2022.09.029

Abstract

Background & aims: Malnutrition is underdiagnosed and undertreated in Norway. In a revision of a national guideline on malnutrition, the Norwegian Directorate of Health aimed for a harmonization and standardization of the malnutrition screening practice, including a recommendation of one malnutrition screening tool to be used among all adults in Norwegian health and care services.

Methods: A working group was appointed by the Norwegian Directorate of Health. Evidence-based practice, a pragmatic decision-making process based on a literature review, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), and the DECIDE decision-making model was used as a guidance in order to convert evidence into recommendations.

Results: The criteria and properties of the four most frequently validated malnutrition screening tools were identified and ranked by the working group. The tools were prioritized in the following order: 1: Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST), 2: Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), 3: Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002), and 4: Mini-Nutritional Assessment short form (MNA).

Conclusions: The Norwegian Directorate of Health recommends use of MST for screening for malnutrition among all adults (≥18 years), across all health care settings, and diagnoses or conditions in Norway.

Keywords: Malnutrition; National guideline; Recommendation; Screening.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Humans
Malnutrition* / diagnosis
Mass Screening
Norway
Nutrition Assessment*