Which screening tool measures malnutrition across various healthcare settings?

The Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) is widely recognized for its comprehensive approach to identifying malnutrition in diverse healthcare settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, and community health services. Its design makes it effective for use across various patient populations, as it evaluates multiple factors such as body mass index (BMI), unintentional weight loss, and the effect of acute disease on nutritional intake.

By capturing these different elements, MUST allows healthcare professionals to quickly assess nutritional risk and make informed decisions regarding dietary interventions and referrals to dietitians or other specialists. The versatility and straightforward scoring system of MUST contribute to its broad applicability, making it a standard tool in the evaluation of malnutrition in various environments. This robustness is what distinguishes MUST as a preferred tool for malnutrition screening in diverse healthcare contexts.

Other tools, while useful in specific situations, do not offer the same level of versatility across different settings or populations. For example, the Patient-generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) is more comprehensive but primarily used in oncology settings, while the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) is better suited for general use but lacks the depth provided by MUST. The Malnutrition Screening Tool for cancer patients (MSTC) is specifically tailored for oncology