Question

Sonali is an integral part of the medical team in a district hospital. She assesses the nutritional status of patients admitted there and keeps records. Which two methods would she be using to assess the patients’ nutritional status?

Hint:

Common nutritional assessment methods include anthropometric, dietary, clinical and biochemical assessments.

Answer 1

Step 1: Purpose of nutritional assessment.
Nutritional assessment is used to determine whether a patient is well nourished, undernourished or at risk of nutritional problems.
Step 2: Method 1 – Anthropometric assessment.
Anthropometric measurements such as body weight, height, Body Mass Index (BMI), and mid-upper arm circumference are used to evaluate the patient’s nutritional status.
Step 3: Method 2 – Dietary assessment.
Dietary assessment methods such as diet history, 24-hour dietary recall and food frequency questionnaires help evaluate the patient’s usual food intake and nutrient consumption.
Step 4: Conclusion.
Therefore, Sonali would commonly use anthropometric assessment and dietary assessment methods to evaluate the nutritional status of patients.