VALIDATION OF THE MALNUTRITION UNIVERSAL SCREENING TOOL (MUST) IN HOSPITALIZED ACUTELY ILL ELDERLY PATIENTS IN PAKISTAN

Background and Objectives: This study validated Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) for the nutrition assessment of elderly patients against a reference tool- Patient Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA). Methods and Study Design: 70 patients admitted in the general wards were taken as sample in the study. In addition to MUST and PG-SGA certain other parameters were also checked; %weight loss, Triceps Skin Fold (TSF), Handgrip, Middle Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) and Mid Arm Muscle Circumference (MAMC). Quality of life was checked by using EuroQol questionnaire. Specificity, sensitivity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated to validate MUST against PG-SGA. Results: When MUST is compared with PG-SGA, results calculated were sensitivity of 34.1% and specificity of 100% with the positive predictive value of 100% and negative predictive value of 85%. The MUST score had significant inverse correlation with body mass index, Triceps skinfold thickness and Mid-arm muscle circumference but not with Handgrip strength. Malnourished patients had worse quality of life score. Conclusion: This study shows that MUST can be used for elderly acutely malnourished patients. Weight loss is also validated and the results are comparable to MUST’s results. By this we can predict the risk of malnutrition easily.