The Nutritional Screening Initiative: meeting the nutritional needs of elders

Nutritional factors are associated with at least 5 of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States. Older persons are especially vulnerable for nutritional problems, usually resulting from inappropriate (usually inadequate) intake of nutrients or increased need for nutrients. Nutritional assessment and interventions are sometimes overlooked in the focus on more complicated medical care. Yet there are many ways in which nurses can intervene to improve patients' nutritional status. One resource for organizing nutritional assessment and interventions is the Nutrition Screening Initiative. This multidisciplinary initiative provides useful guidelines and tools for assessing nutritional status and for planning the most appropriate interventions.