Knowledge, Perception and Challenges of Implementing Nutrition Screening: A Survey of Healthcare Professionals

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Preoperative malnutrition is common in hospital settings; however, one major problem is the short practices to screen surgical patients as a part of nutrition care management to address the issue of malnutrition. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and challenges of Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) to implement NS in pre-operative patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken between April and May 2023. RESULTS: A total of 103 respondents participated in this survey. Almost 75% of HCPs acknowledged the importance of managing malnutrition in preoperative patients; however, there is a lack of implementation of NS (32.4%) and a need for training for HCPs (74.5%), which relates to fewer patients being referred to a dietitian for better nutrition care. All HCPs have a positive perception (85.4%) of the importance of preoperative NS and concur that challenges faced to execute NS accordingly beforehand are the barrier (52.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that HCPs are aware of early identification of malnutrition but lack implementation of NS. There is a remarkable need for the establishment of a standardised nutrition care pathway for better nutrition intervention in pre-operative patients.