Malnutrition screening of older people by community nurses: An imperative for population health in Ireland

Title Malnutrition screening of older people by community nurses: An imperative for population health in Ireland. Background- Malnutrition among community dwelling older adults is an important healthcare concern that needs... [ view full abstract ]

Title Malnutrition screening of older people by community nurses: An imperative for population health in Ireland.

Background- Malnutrition among community dwelling older adults is an important healthcare concern that needs to be addressed in primary care. In the United Kingdom, approximately 2.8 million older people are affected by malnutrition and around 93 percent of these live in the community (Russell et al. 2012). NICE guidelines (2012) reiterate that the failure to identify malnutrition risk in the community can increase the likelihood of subsequent illness and hospitalisation and has a negative fiscal impact on health budgets. Community nurses are in a position to engage in primary prevention and secondary and tertiary intervention in the context of screening and care planning.

Aim- The discussion paper examines nutritional screening and assessment of both malnutrition and obesity in the older adult in the community

Findings- Nutritional screening in the community is not routinely done in Ireland, yet it has potential to decrease both the morbidity and mortality rates of older people and prevent avoidable hospital admissions. The ideal tool for screening for malnutrition needs to be valid and reliable and the MNA (Mini Nutritional Assessment) and the MUST (Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool) present the most appropriate qualities to meet population screening requirements.

Conclusion- Irish policy needs to be re-orientated to provide for community based mandatory nutritional screening of older people. Screening needs to be initiated at an organisational level where there is clear policy and guidelines to screen with the appropriate training and equipment. In addition to improvement in quality of life indicators, the evidence demonstrates that the cost of treating malnutrition outweighs the cost of treating the consequences of malnutrition.