Malnutrition Screening: An Interprofessional Approach in Outpatient Oncology

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Clinical Nutrition
• Healthcare Implementation Science

Background:

• Malnutrition is common in cancer patients, negatively impacting treatment outcomes.
• Effective screening is crucial for early intervention in oncology care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a malnutrition screening process using the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) in outpatient cancer centers.
• To assess the prevalence of malnutrition risk and compliance with screening protocols.

Main Methods:

• Interprofessional collaboration between nursing and nutrition departments to embed the MST into electronic health records.
• Nurses educated to screen patients at risk for malnutrition upon first infusion chemotherapy cycle.
• Data collection over a six-month period across three cancer centers.

Main Results:

• Twenty-eight percent of patients screened were identified at risk for malnutrition.
• Fifty-three percent of patients met the malnutrition risk criteria (MST score ≥ 2).
• Screening compliance varied significantly (30%-81%) across the participating cancer centers.

Conclusions:

• Successful implementation of an interprofessional malnutrition screening process in oncology settings.
• Significant prevalence of malnutrition risk identified in the outpatient cancer population.
• Variable compliance highlights the need for ongoing education and process optimization for malnutrition screening in cancer care.