Institute of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Research (OxINMAHR), Oxford, UK.
Department of Dietetics, Therapies, Churchill Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK.
Support Care Cancer. 2024 Oct 10;32(11):720. doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-08931-3.
Malnutrition is a significant risk for patients during cancer treatment. Neglecting to monitor or provide timely dietetic support can result in lower tolerance to treatments and reduced quality of life. This audit aimed to assess the completeness and accuracy of the documentation of anthropometric measurements in medical records and dietetic referral practices across four day-treatment units (DTUs) in England.
Data were collected from electronic patient records of 100 patients in each DTU attending for systemic anti-cancer treatment (SACT) over a 2-week period. Data collected included patients' demographics, anthropometric data, referrals to dietitians, and whether the patients referred had a MUST score ≥ 2, which was calculated by the authors.
Findings revealed that weights and heights were documented for 58-85% and 94-98% of patients attending DTUs, respectively. On average, 55% (range of 7-85%) of patients had their body mass index (BMI) documented on the day of SACT. The Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) was rarely completed (≤ 3% in each centre). Dietetic referral practices varied across centres.
Findings highlight the need to improve anthropometric documentation practices in cancer centres, in order to allow better monitoring of malnutrition risk and early nutritional support interventions when needed.
营养不良是癌症治疗过程中患者面临的重大风险。如果未能监测或及时提供饮食支持，可能会导致治疗耐受性降低和生活质量下降。本次审计旨在评估英格兰四个日间治疗单位（DTU）的病历和饮食转介实践中人体测量数据记录的完整性和准确性。
在两周的时间内，从每个 DTU 接受全身抗癌治疗（SACT）的 100 名患者的电子病历中收集数据。收集的数据包括患者的人口统计学信息、人体测量数据、向营养师的转介情况，以及转介的患者是否 MUST 评分≥2，这是由作者计算的。
研究结果显示，分别有 58-85%和 94-98%的患者在 DTU 就诊时记录了体重和身高。平均而言，55%（范围为 7-85%）的患者在接受 SACT 的当天记录了他们的体重指数（BMI）。营养不良通用筛查工具（MUST）很少被完成（每个中心的比例都在 3%以下）。饮食转介实践在各个中心有所不同。
研究结果强调需要改进癌症中心的人体测量数据记录实践，以便更好地监测营养不良风险，并在需要时及早进行营养支持干预。
