Decrease of malnutrition in hospitalized children since screening became mandatory

Anemone van den Berg, member of the Steering Group Malnutrition and Pediatrician at Juliana Children’s Hospital, recently showed that the number of children that are screened for malnutrition at hospital admission has increased significantly and the prevalence of malnutrition has decreased since screening for malnutrition became mandatory in 2008. The percentage of children that have an adequate intake of energy and protein on the 4th day of admission remained the same. The increased awareness about malnutrition may have led to the decrease of acute malnutrition.
The study was presented in a poster walk for the best-reviewed abstracts at the congress of The European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition ( ESPGHAN) on the 12^th of May 2017. The poster can be viewed here.