01 A pilot study validating the current Nutritional Screening Tool
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A pilot study examining the validity of the local nutritional screening tool within inpatient mental health and learning disabilities services in comparison with the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST)
IRAS ID
211374
Contact name
Jennifer Barbara Alison McIntosh
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leeds Beckett University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 1 days
Research summary
A pilot research study testing whether the current nutritional screening tool (NST) developed for a mental health and learning disabilities NHS Trust is reliable and valid.
The NST was developed 7-8 years by a number of health professionals within the NHS trust in the absence of a national validated NST for this population. The NST is mandatory within inpatients across the organisation from 13 years to older age, on admission, during admission and on discharge to ascertain if a referral to Dietetics is required. Unlike other NSTs the risk of both malnutrition and obesity is assessed for all ages from 13 upwards. This is particularly relevant for this population due to the high incidence of obesity, malnutrition and serious health problems linked with a shorter lifespan of 20-25 years compared to the general population (Vancampfort et al 2013; Camus, 2008).
Although the NST is mandatory there is no evidence the NST assesses correctly those who are at risk of malnutrition or obesity and if the results are the same no matter which health professional completes the tool. The research pilot sets out to test this across a pre-selected week over selected inpatient services.
Service users with capacity are invited to participate as part of routine practice by completing the NST with a known health professional and in addition with the Dietitian assigned to that area to test the reliability of the NST. In addition the Dietitian will compare against a known and tested NST used within other populations called malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST) to assess the validity of the tool and if the same conclusions are drawn.
To ensure the sample population is representative, a wide age range will be included from 13 years to older age, and a wide range of mental health and learning disability conditions.
REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
16/NI/0164
Date of REC Opinion
15 Aug 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion