[History of progress in nutritional assessment]

Progress in nutritional assessment is reviewed. 1) Initial period (1930-1959): The first nutritional assessment procedures were surveys designed to describe the nutritional status of populations on a national basis. The important relationship between nutritional status and health was well documented and awareness among surgeons and physicians of the importance of nutritional assessment increasing during the 1950s. Enteral nutrition techniques were established and research on parenteral nutrition started. 2) Established period (1960-1979): With the development of enteral and parenteral nutrition techniques, the determination of the nutritional status of individual patients took on new importance. New concepts and methods were devised and used in developing regions of the world and for the assessment of the nutritional status of hospitalized patients during the 1970s. 4) Developing period (after 1980): After 1980, investigators began to examine functional indices and combinations of parameters that would have prognostic value in order to determine the indications for clinical outcome. Many types of sophisticated equipment for assessing nutritional status became available and encouraged the development of a new concept of body composition. Despite the development of such new technologies, experienced clinicians were able to obtain a remarkable degree of agreement. Further education of all staff is essential in the clinical art of detecting the early and subtle changes of malnutrition.