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Patient Safety and Quality Improvement

(257) Improving Malnutrition Identification in Pre-treatment Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Monday, October 2, 2023
2:45 PM – 3:45 PM East Coast USA Time
Has Audio
Disclosure(s):
Alyssa Weinfurther, MS, RD, CSO, LDN: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Marci Lee Nilsen, PhD, RN, CHPN: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Jonas T. Johnson, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.


Introduction: Head and neck cancer patients tend to have difficulty eating, especially throughout treatment. Malnutrition exists in 35-60% of cancer patients at diagnosis.

Methods: All pretreatment patients were seen in clinic by dietitian for education on what to expect during treatment. Nutrition Focused Physical Exam (NFPE) was implemented on all pretreatment patients during these clinic visits. ICD-10 malnutrition guidelines followed to determine nutrition status both before and after NFPE. The goal in implementing NFPE at this visit resulted in more accurate nutrition diagnosis and earlier nutrition interventions.

Results: 91 patients who were seen in clinic for pre-treatment visit saw the dietitian. 58% of patients were able to be diagnosed with malnutrition by adding in NFPE (compared to 15% without NFPE). 60% of patients seen by dietitian had additional nutrition interventions (aside from normal pre-treatment education). 100% of pre-treatment patients who were seen by dietitian in clinic received NFPE. This information can help the organization allow for opportunity to provide NFPE and nutrition intervention early to promote better patient outcomes.

Conclusions: The goal of improving identification of malnutrition by 40% in pre-treatment H&N cancer patients has been achieved. There is still a lot of opportunity to utilize NFPE during initial nutrition consultations in any disease state. The information from this project can allow for earlier nutrition intervention at time of cancer diagnosis and nutrition optimization prior to and during treatment.