摘要：Aim: To develop a new screening tool that can quickly assess the risk of undernourishment and evaluate its correlation with frequently used anthropometric indicators. Methods: A new, easy-to-access screening tool was developed for clinical practice with 5 items. A total of 650 children were evaluated, with an average age of 54 months. Their global nutritional status was assessed, as well as the proposed new screening tool. Results: We found that the presence of the item "The patient is in serious condition" was associated with longer days of hospital stay (18.8 ± 4.5, p=0.002), as was the presence of the item "There are factors that increase metabolic and energy demand (20%)" (14.4 ± 1.9, p=0.007). Similarly, we observed a greater risk with the presence of undernourishment [OR=2.8 (95% CI=2 – 3.9)] and the item “There is functional limitation for feeding” [OR=2.3 (95% CI=1.4 – 3.5)]. The score of the new tool differed between those who children who exhibited undernourishment versus those who did not [2.1 ± 1.08 vs 1.6 ± 0.99 (p=0.0001)]. Conclusions: The identification of at least 2 items of the new screening tool could help to detect undernourishment, especially in paediatric populations where, due to the large amount of admissions.
