Page 14 - Nutrition Essentials for Nursing Practice

1Nutrition in Nursing

CHECK YOUR KNOWLEDGE
TRUE FALSE

1 The nurse’s role in nutrition is to call the dietitian.
2 Nutrition screening is used to identify clients at risk for malnutrition.
3 The Joint Commission stipulates the criteria to be included on a nutritional screen for

hospitalized patients.
4 Changes in weight reflect acute changes in nutritional status.
5 A person can be malnourished without being underweight.
6 The only cause of a low serum albumin concentration is protein malnutrition.
7 “Significant” weight loss is 5% of body weight in 1 month.
8 People who take five or more prescription or over-the-counter medications or dietary

supplements are at risk for nutritional problems.
9 Obtaining reliable and accurate information on what the client usually eats can help

identify intake as a source of nutrition problems.
10 Physical signs and symptoms of malnutrition develop only after other signs of malnutri-

tion are apparent (e.g., abnormal lab values, weight change).

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this chapter, you will be able to

1 Compare nutrition screening to nutrition assessment.
2 Evaluate weight loss for its significance over a 1-month or 6-month interval.
3 Discuss the validity and reliability of using physical signs to support a nutritional diagnosis

of malnutrition.
4 Give examples of nursing diagnoses that may use nutrition therapy as an intervention.
5 Demonstrate how nurses can facilitate client and family teaching of nutrition therapy.
6 Explain why an alternative term to “diet” is useful.

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