Keywords

nutrition assessment, nutrition care, nutrition status, pediatric oncology, protocols, screening

 

Authors

  1. DeLoid, Liana B. MS, RD
  2. Peabody, Anna MS, RD
  3. Edelstein, Sari PhD, RD

Abstract

An online survey circulated to nutrition professionals examined the incidence of nutritional assessment, intervention, and follow-up for pediatric oncology patients. Data analyzed from 62 surveys, using SPSS for Windows (version 16.0, 2008), showed that 60.3% of nutrition professionals (n = 35) reported always completing a nutrition assessment when a diagnosis was made. In addition, 81% (n = 47) reported having a screening tool that triggers a nutrition consult. Survey results indicated that there was no consistent approach for nutritional assessment, intervention, and follow-up for pediatric patients with cancer. Further research is necessary for standardizing nutrition care protocols and screening tools to improve patient care.