Best Evidence Summary on Nutritional Risk Screening and Nutritional Assessment in Adult Critically Ill Patients

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Nutritional Science
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Nutritional risk screening and assessment are vital for critically ill adult patients.
• Standardized evidence-based practices are needed to optimize nutritional care in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To retrieve, evaluate, and synthesize evidence on nutritional risk screening and assessment in adult critically ill patients.
• To provide an evidence-based reference for clinical healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• An evidence summary was conducted following Fudan University Center for Evidence-based Nursing standards.
• A comprehensive literature search utilized the '6S' model across multiple databases and professional society websites up to December 2024.

Main Results:

• Eleven literature sources were included: 8 guidelines, 2 expert consensuses, and 1 evidence summary.
• Eighteen best practice recommendations were synthesized across key domains: team formation, screening/assessment targets, timing, instruments, and frequency.

Conclusions:

• This study offers current best evidence for standardizing nutritional risk screening and assessment in critically ill adults.
• Clinical application requires selecting and individualizing evidence, with continuous updates to nursing practice.