MALNUTRITION

UNIVERSAL SCREENING
TOOL ( MUST )
PATRICIO ANTONIO ZURITA BELTRÁN
ALEXANDRA PALMA CÁMARA
JORGE DÚRÁN GÓNZALES
KATHERINE HERNANDEZ MORENO
INTRODUCTION
THE MALNUTRITION UNIVERSAL SCREENING
TOOL (MUST) IS A WIDELY USED TOOL
DESIGNED TO IDENTIFY MALNUTRITION RISK
IN ADULTS. DEVELOPED BY THE
MALNUTRITION ADVISORY GROUP OF THE
BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR PARENTERAL
AND ENTERAL NUTRITION (BAPEN), IT
PROVIDES A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO
ASSESS NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND
STRATIFY INDIVIDUALS INTO DIFFERENT
RISK CATEGORIES.
 OBJECTIVES
TO IDENTIFY MALNUTRITION RISK: TO ASSIST IN TREATMENT PLANNING:

ONE OF THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES BY CATEGORIZING INDIVIDUALS INTO

OF MUST IS TO DETECT INDIVIDUALS LOW, MEDIUM, OR HIGH RISK, MUST
AT RISK OF MALNUTRITION EARLY AIDS HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN
ON, ALLOWING FOR TIMELY DEVISING APPROPRIATE TREATMENT
INTERVENTIONS. PLANS TAILORED TO THE INDIVIDUAL'S
NEEDS.

TO IMPROVE PATIENT OUTCOMES:

EARLY IDENTIFICATION AND

MANAGEMENT OF MALNUTRITION
CAN LEAD TO IMPROVED PATIENT
OUTCOMES, INCLUDING REDUCED
HOSPITAL STAYS, ENHANCED
RECOVERY, AND BETTER QUALITY
OF LIFE.
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
VS.
SIMPLICITY: MUST IS A LIMITED SCOPE: WHILE EFFECTIVE FOR
STRAIGHTFORWARD TOOL THAT CAN BE IDENTIFYING MALNUTRITION RISK, MUST
EASILY ADMINISTERED BY VARIOUS MAY NOT CAPTURE ALL NUANCES OF
HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS WITH NUTRITIONAL STATUS, SUCH AS
MINIMAL TRAINING. MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES.
QUICK ASSESSMENT: IT PROVIDES A RAPID DEPENDENCE ON SUBJECTIVE
ASSESSMENT OF MALNUTRITION RISK, PARAMETERS: THE SUBJECTIVE
MAKING IT SUITABLE FOR USE IN BUSY ASSESSMENT OF DISEASE SEVERITY AND
CLINICAL SETTINGS. ITS EFFECT ON NUTRITIONAL INTAKE MAY
OBJECTIVE SCORING: THE TOOL UTILIZES INTRODUCE VARIABILITY IN THE RESULTS.
OBJECTIVE CRITERIA SUCH AS BMI, INACCURACY IN CERTAIN POPULATIONS:
UNINTENTIONAL WEIGHT LOSS, AND ACUTE MUST MAY NOT BE AS ACCURATE IN
DISEASE EFFECT, REDUCING THE SPECIFIC POPULATIONS, SUCH AS
SUBJECTIVITY OF THE ASSESSMENT. INDIVIDUALS WITH FLUID RETENTION OR
THOSE WITH SIGNIFICANT MUSCLE MASS.
 THE PROCESS OF FILLING OUT THE
NUTRITIONAL SCREENING TOOL

CALCULATE BMI ASSESS UNINTENTIONAL EVALUATE THE EFFECT

OF ACUTE DISEASE
MEASURE THE WEIGHT LOSS
LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT
INDIVIDUAL'S HEIGHT AMET CONSECTETUR
DETERMINE IF THE
AND WEIGHT TO ADIPISCING ELIT, EGET QUIS
CALCULATE THEIR BMI INDIVIDUAL HAS
SED NEQUE NISI PENATIBUS
USING THE FORMULA: EXPERIENCED ANY PORTA, DICTUMST POSUERE
BMI = WEIGHT (KG) / UNINTENTIONAL WEIGHT NULLA TELLUS HIMENAEOS
HEIGHT (M)^2. LOSS OVER THE PAST 3-6 TEMPOR.
MONTHS BY COMPARING
THEIR CURRENT WEIGHT
TO THEIR USUAL WEIGHT.
 SCREENING TOOL
FORMAT
THE MALNUTRITION UNIVERSAL SCREENING
TOOL (MUST) TYPICALLY CONSISTS OF A SIMPLE
FORM THAT FACILITATES THE ASSESSMENT
PROCESS. THIS FORM INCLUDES FIELDS FOR
RECORDING THE INDIVIDUAL'S BMI,
PERCENTAGE OF UNINTENTIONAL WEIGHT LOSS,
AND THE EFFECT OF ACUTE DISEASE ON
NUTRITIONAL INTAKE. BASED ON THE SCORES
OBTAINED IN EACH CATEGORY, THE INDIVIDUAL
IS CLASSIFIED INTO ONE OF THREE RISK
CATEGORIES: LOW, MEDIUM, OR HIGH RISK OF
MALNUTRITION.
 STEP 1.
BMI SCORE (& BMI)
STEP 2 – WEIGHT LOSS
SCORE
REFERENCES
Malnutrition Advisory Group A Standing Committee of BAPEN.
Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool [Internet]. Org.uk. [cited
February 7, 2024]. Available at:
https://www.bapen.org.uk/pdfs/must/must_full.pdf