Nutrition assessment in the 1990s: where are we now?

This review addresses some of the challenges confronting the modern nutrition support clinician in developing protocols for nutrition assessment. While it is generally agreed upon that patients who are malnourished are at greater risk for development of complications during hospitalization, there is no consensus on the best method for assessment of nutritional status. Assessment parameters currently available include clinical, biochemical, anthropometric, and functional tests designed to evaluate nutrition status as well as estimate body composition. As some of these parameters are expensive or not practical for routine clinical use, they should be evaluated carefully when a nutrition assessment protocol is designed.