Physician Perspectives on Malnutrition Screening, Diagnosis, and Management: A Qualitative Analysis.

Malnutrition is an important clinical entity that is frequently underdiagnosed and undertreated, in part due to a lack of education and different perceptions by healthcare providers on its value in medical practice. Given this void, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore physicians' clinical perspectives on malnutrition care, including its prevalence in their practice, and potential barriers that might preclude the delivery of malnutrition care. Using a directed content qualitative analysis approach, a total of 22 general and subspecialist physicians across three Canadian provinces were interviewed using a series of standardized questions developed by a multidisciplinary research team. Responses were transcribed and then analyzed using NVivo Version 14 software. While physicians recognized the importance of malnutrition screening and treatment, they did not view themselves as the primary drivers and often deferred this responsibility to dietitians. Lack of standard malnutrition screening, education amongst allied healthcare providers, time, personnel, and referral processes to have patients assessed and managed for malnutrition were also identified as contributing factors. For physicians, malnutrition education, standard malnutrition screening during patient encounters, and access to the necessary tools to manage malnutrition using a more centralized approach and standard referral process were viewed as strategies with the potential to improve the ability of the physician to identify and manage disease-related malnutrition and its negative consequences.

Growth patterns by birth size of preterm children born at 24-29 gestational weeks for the first 3 years.

BACKGROUND: Concerns are prevalent about preterm infant long-term growth regarding plotting low on growth charts at discharge, stunting, underweight, high body fat and subsequent cardiometabolic morbidities. OBJECTIVES: To examine (a) longitudinal growth patterns of extremely and very preterm infants to 3 years corrected age (CA) (outcome), categorised by their birthweight for gestational age: small, appropriate and large for gestational age (SGA, AGA and LGA, respectively) (exposure); and (b) the ability of growth faltering (<-2 z-scores) to predict suboptimal cognitive scores at 3 years CA. METHODS: Post-discharge head, length, weight and weight-4-length growth patterns of the PreM Growth cohort study infants born <30 weeks and < 1500 g, who had dietitian and multi-disciplinary support before and after discharge, were plotted against the World Health Organization growth standard. Infants with brain injuries, necrotising enterocolitis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia were excluded. RESULTS: Of the included 405 infants, the proportions of infants with anthropometric measures > - 2 z-scores improved with age. The highest proportions <-2 z-scores for length (24.2%) and weight (24.0%) were at 36 gestational weeks. The proportion with small heads was low by 0 months CA (1.8%). By 3 years CA, only a few children plotted lower than -2 z-scores for length, weight-4-length and weight (<6%). After zero months CA, high weight-4-length and body mass index > + 2 z-scores were rare (2.1% at 3 years CA). Those born SGA had higher proportions with shorter heights (16.7% vs. 5.2%) and lower weights (27.8% vs. 3.5%) at 3 years CA compared to those born AGA. The ability of growth faltering to predict cognitive scores was limited (AUROC 0.42, 95% CI 0.39, 0.45 to 0.52, 95% CI 0.41, 0.63). CONCLUSIONS: Although children born <30 weeks gestation without major neonatal morbidities plot low on growth charts at 36 weeks CA most catch up to growth chart curves by 3 years CA.

A survey of preoperative surgical nutrition practices, opinions, and barriers across Canada.

Malnutrition is prevalent among surgical candidates and associated with adverse outcomes. Despite being potentially modifiable, malnutrition risk screening is not a standard preoperative practice. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to understand healthcare professionals' (HCPs) opinions and barriers regarding screening and treatment of malnutrition. HCPs working with adult surgical patients in Canada were invited to complete an online survey. Barriers to preoperative malnutrition screening were assessed using the Capability Opportunity Motivation-Behaviour model. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were analyzed using summative content analysis. Of the 225 HCPs surveyed (n = 111 dietitians, n = 72 physicians, n = 42 allied HCPs), 96%-100% agreed that preoperative malnutrition is a modifiable risk factor associated with worse surgical outcomes and is a treatment priority. Yet, 65% (n = 142/220; dietitians: 88% vs. physicians: 40%) reported screening for malnutrition, which mostly occured in the postoperative period (n = 117) by dietitians (n = 94). Just 42% (48/113) of non-dietitian respondents referred positively screened patients to a dietitian for further assessment and treatment. The most prevalent barriers for malnutrition screening were related to opportunity, including availability of resources (57%, n = 121/212), time (40%, n = 84/212) and support from others (38%, n = 80/212). In conclusion, there is a gap between opinion and practice among surgical HCPs pertaining to malnutrition. Although HCPs agreed malnutrition is a surgical priority, the opportunity to screen for nutrition risk was a great barrier.

Canadian Nutrition Society Dialogue on disease-related malnutrition: a commentary from the 2022 Food For Health Workshop.

This commentary represents a dialogue on key aspects of disease-related malnutrition (DRM) from leaders and experts from academia, health across disciplines, and several countries across the world. The dialogue illuminates the problem of DRM, what impact it has on outcomes, nutrition care as a human right, and practice, implementation, and policy approaches to address DRM. The dialogue allowed the germination of an idea to register a commitment through the Canadian Nutrition Society and the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force in the UN/WHO Decade of Action on Nutrition to advance policy-based approaches for DRM. This commitment was successfully registered in October 2022 and is entitled CAN DReaM (Creating Alliances Nationally for Policy in Disease-Related Malnutrition). This commitment details five goals that will be pursued in the Decade of Action on Nutrition. The intent of this commentary is to record the proceedings of the workshop as a stepping stone to establishing a policy-based approach to DRM that is relevant in Canada and abroad.

Prevalence of current nutrition care practices for disease-related malnutrition in Canadian hospitals.

Disease-related malnutrition is common in hospital patients. The Health Standards Organization Canadian Malnutrition Prevention, Detection, and Treatment Standard was published in 2021. The purpose of this study was to determine the current state of nutrition care in hospitals prior to implementation of the Standard. An online survey was distributed to hospitals across Canada via email. A representative reported on nutrition best practices based on the Standard at the hospital level. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were completed for selected variables based on size and type of hospital. One hundred and forty-three responses from nine provinces were received (56% community, 23% academic, and 21% other). Malnutrition risk screening was being completed on admission in 74% (n = 106/142) of hospitals, although not all units participated in screening all patients. Nutrition-focused physical exam is completed as part of a nutrition assessment in 74% (n = 101/139) of sites. Flagging a malnutrition diagnosis (n = 38/104) and physician documentation (18/136) were sporadic. Academic and medium (100-499 beds) and large hospitals (500+ beds) were more likely to have a physician document a malnutrition diagnosis. Some, but not all, best practices are occurring in Canadian hospitals on a regular basis. This demonstrates a need for continued knowledge mobilization of the Standard.

Evaluation of a paediatric gluten-free food guide by children and youth with coeliac disease, their parents and health care professionals.

There are currently no universal evidence-based nutrition guidelines that address the gluten-free (GF) diet for children/youth (4-18 years). A GF food guide was created to help children/youth with coeliac disease (CD) and their families navigate the complexities of following a GF diet. Guide formation was based on pre-guide stakeholder consultations and an evaluation of nutrient intake and dietary patterns. The study objective was to conduct an evaluation on guide content, layout, feasibility and dissemination strategies from end-stakeholder users (children/youth with CD, parents/caregivers and health care professionals). This is a cross-sectional study using a multi-method approach of virtual focus groups and an online survey to conduct stakeholder evaluations. Stakeholders included children/youth (4-18 years), their parents/caregivers in the coeliac community (n 273) and health care professionals (n 80) with both paediatric and CD experience from across Canada. Thematic analysis was performed on focus group responses and open-ended survey questions until thematic saturation was achieved. χ2 and Fisher's exact statistical analyses were performed on demographic and close-ended survey questions. Stakeholders positively perceived the guide for content, layout, feasibility, ethnicity and usability. Stakeholders found the material visually appealing and engaging with belief that it could effectively be used in multi-ethnic community and clinical-based settings. Guide revisions were made in response to stakeholder consultations to improve food selection (e.g. child-friendly foods), language (e.g. clarity) and layout (e.g. organisation). The evaluation by end-stakeholders provided practical and patient-focused feedback on the guide to enable successful uptake in community and clinical-based settings.

Nutritional considerations of a paediatric gluten-free food guide for coeliac disease.

The gluten-free (GF) diet is the only treatment for coeliac disease (CD). While the GF diet can be nutritious, increased reliance on processed and packaged GF foods can result in higher fat/sugar and lower micronutrient intake in children with CD. Currently, there are no evidence-based nutrition guidelines that address the GF diet. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to describe the methodological considerations in forming a GF food guide for Canadian children and youth (4-18 years) with CD. Food guide development occurred in three phases: (1) evaluation of nutrient intake and dietary patterns of children on the GF diet, (2) pre-guide stakeholder consultations with 151 health care professionals and 383 community end users and (3) development of 1260 GF diet simulations that addressed cultural preferences and food traditions, diet patterns and diet quality. Stakeholder feedback identified nutrient intake and food literacy as important topics for guide content. Except for vitamin D, the diet simulations met 100 % macronutrient and micronutrient requirements for age-sex. The paediatric GF plate model recommends intake of >50 % fruits and vegetables (FV), <25 % grains and 25 % protein foods with a stronger emphasis on plant-based sources. Vitamin D-fortified fluid milk/unsweetened plant-based alternatives and other rich sources are important to optimise vitamin D intake. The GF food guide can help children consume a nutritiously adequate GF diet and inform policy makers regarding the need for nutrition guidelines in paediatric CD.

Consensus-based nutrition care pathways for hospital-to-community transitions and older adults in primary and community care.

BACKGROUND: Practical guidance for providers on preventing, detecting, and treating malnutrition in primary care (PC) and the community is limited. The purpose of this study was to develop nutrition care pathways for adult patients (aged ≥18 years) transitioning from hospital to community and community-dwelling older adults (aged ≥65 years) who are at risk for malnutrition. METHODS: A review of best-practice nutrition evidence and guidelines published between 2009 and 2019 was performed using PubMed and CINAHL. Findings were summarized into two draft care pathways by the Primary Care Working Group of the Canadian Malnutrition Task Force. Diverse stakeholders (n = 21) reviewed and suggested revisions at a 1-day meeting. Revisions were made and an online survey was conducted to determine the relevance and importance of discrete care practices, and to establish consensus for which practices should be retained in the pathways. Providers (e.g., dietitians, physicians, nurses; n = 291) across healthcare settings completed the survey. Consensus on relevance and importance of practices was set at ≥80%. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-eight resources were identified and used to develop the draft pathways. Survey participants assigned ratings of ≥80% for relevance and importance for all nutrition care practices, except community service providers monitoring patient weight and appetite. CONCLUSION: These evidence- and consensus-based nutrition pathways offer guidance to healthcare and service providers on how to deliver nutrition care during hospital-to-community transitions for malnourished adult patients and community-dwelling older adults at risk for malnutrition. These pathways are flexible for diverse PC and community models.

Critical examination of relationships between early growth and childhood overweight in extremely preterm infants.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the prevalence and risk factors for childhood overweight and obesity (OWO) at 3-year corrected age in children born <1500 g <29 weeks gestation. STUDY DESIGN: A multicentre retrospective cohort study for preterm infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units between 2001 and 2014. RESULTS: Data were available for 911 (89.4%) of the 1019 infants who met the inclusion criteria. Of them, 22 (2.4%) had OWO. There were no associations between OWO and being small for gestational age (RR = 1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.3-5.4) or weight <10th percentile at 36 weeks (RR = 1.1, 95% CI: 0.4-2.8). OWO was associated with low maternal education (RR = 7.4, 95% CI: 2.1-26), maternal diabetes (RR = 5.2, 95% CI: 1.9-15) and neonatal brain injury (RR = 4.9, 95% CI: 1.8-14). Adjusting for concurrent child weight at 3 years of age resulted in an overadjustment bias. CONCLUSION: Small size at birth or at 36 weeks gestation in extremely preterm infants is not associated with increased risk of early childhood overgrowth or obesity. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03064022.

Canadian Hospital Food Service Practices to Prevent Malnutrition.

Purpose: The study aimed to determine current practice, barriers, and enablers of foodservices in Canadian hospitals relative to guiding principles for best practice to prevent malnutrition.Methods: Foodservice managers completed a 55-item cross-sectional, online survey (closed- and open-ended questions).Results: Survey responses (n = 286) were from diverse hospitals in all Canadian regions; 56% acute care; 13% had foodservices contracted out; and 60% had a reporting structure combined with clinical nutrition. Predominantly, foodservice systems were 43% in-house versus 41% pre-prepared, 46% cook-serve food production, 64% meals assembled centrally (on-site), and 40% non-selective menus with limited opportunities for patient choice in advance or at meals. The "regular menu" (44%) was most commonly served as 3 meals, no snacks at specific times. Energy and protein-dense menus were available, but not widespread (9%). Daily energy targets ranged from 1200 to 2400 kcal and 32% of respondents viewed protein targets as important. The number of therapeutic diets varied from 2 to 150.Conclusions: Although hospital foodservice practices vary across Canada, the survey results demonstrate gaps in national evidence-based practices and an opportunity to formalize guiding principles. This work highlights the need for standards to improve practice through patient-centered, foodservice practices focused on addressing malnutrition.

Weight, length, and head circumference at 36 weeks are not predictive of later cognitive impairment in very preterm infants.

OBJECTIVE: To assess diagnostic accuracy of 36-week anthropometric weight, length, and head circumference <10th and <3rd percentiles to predict preterm infant cognitive impairment. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study of 898 preterm <30-week very-low-birth weight (<1500 g) infants. Anthropometric measures' accuracy to predict cognitive impairment (Bayley-III Cognitive Composite score) <80, 21-months corrected age (CA) and Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence Quotient (intellectual outcomes) <70, 36-months CA, were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULT: Thirty-six-week weight, length or head circumference <10th or <3rd percentile did not predict cognitive impairment; areas under ROC curves were <0.6. Sensitivities and specificities for 10th and 3rd percentile cut points were all poor, with most not exceeding 70%, whether the Fenton 2013 or INTERGROWTH 2015 growth charts were used. Brain injury and low maternal education were better predictors of cognitive impairment. CONCLUSION: Preterm infant 36-week anthropometric measurements are not accurate predictors of cognitive impairment.

Staff Perceptions of a Mealtime Management Educational Video for Training in Long-Term Care Homes.

The purpose of this study was to determine if staff perceive a mealtime management video to be a beneficial and useful training tool in long-term care (LTC) homes. An email invitation was sent to the Dietitians of Canada Gerontology Network inviting dietitians working in LTC homes to participate. A previously used and reliable 25-item questionnaire was used to assess sustained attention/mental effort, learner satisfaction, clinical experience/relevance, and information processing of the video. Dietitians were asked to show the video to LTC staff and distribute the questionnaire to staff after viewing the video. A total of 769 surveys were completed at 28 LTC homes across Canada. Eighty-seven percent (n = 637/736) of participants felt more knowledgeable after viewing the video and 91% (n = 669/738) found the video format easy for learning. Managers had a higher Likert scores (mean = 6.2 out of 7) than continuing care assistant (mean = 5.7, P = 0.02) and food service workers (mean = 5.5, P = 0.001) for the clinical relevance scales. No differences were found for age (χ2 = 5.52, P = 0.60), gender (χ2 = 2.65, P = 0.10), and size of home (χ2 = 3.34, P = 0.34). Staff perceived the video to be useful for their work with residents living in LTC homes and it raised awareness of the importance of their roles at mealtimes.

"Extrauterine growth restriction" and "postnatal growth failure" are misnomers for preterm infants.

Preterm infants are increasingly diagnosed as having "extrauterine growth restriction" (EUGR) or "postnatal growth failure" (PGF). Usually EUGR/PGF is diagnosed when weight is <10th percentile at either discharge or 36-40 weeks postmenstrual age. The reasons why the phrases EUGR/PGF are unhelpful include, they: (i) are not predictive of adverse outcome; (ii) are based only on weight without any consideration of head or length growth, proportionality, body composition, or genetic potential; (iii) ignore normal postnatal weight loss; (iv) are usually assessed prior to growth slowing of the reference fetus, around 36-40 weeks, and (v) are usually based on an arbitrary statistical growth percentile cut-off. Focus on EUGR/PGF prevalence may benefit with better attention to nutrition but may also harm with nutrition delivery above infants' actual needs. In this paper, we highlight challenges associated with such arbitrary cut-offs and opportunities for further refinement of understanding growth and nutritional needs of preterm neonates.

Folate content of gluten-free food purchases and dietary intake are low in children with coeliac disease.

The lack of mandated folate enrichment of gluten-free (GF) grains in Canada has been suspected to contribute to suboptimal folate intake among children suffering from Celiac disease (CD). Children with CD on the gluten-free diet (GFD) face nutrient imbalances (higher fat/sugar, lower folate) from processed GF foods. The study objective examined folate intake in children with CD and folate content of household food purchases. Households collected food receipts for 30 days to assess folate content. Folate-rich foods were defined as ≥60 µg dietary folate equivalent (DFE)/100g. Two 24-hour recalls assessed children's intake. Households (n = 73) purchased >17,000 food items. Median child age was 10.5 y (IQR: 8.4-14.1). GF folate-rich foods represented <15% of all household food purchases and 69% of children had low folate intakes. Folate-rich foods consumed included legumes/GF-breakfast cereals. These represented 5% of GF-food purchases/intake. Few were fortified with folate. Findings highlight the need for mandated GF folate food fortification policy.

Handgrip strength predicts length of stay and quality of life in and out of hospital.

BACKGROUND: Handgrip strength (HGS) is a practical measure of strength and physical function that can be used to identify frailty among hospitalized patients, but its utility in this setting is unclear. To be considered useful, any functional measure needs to provide pertinent information on the patient and predict relevant outcomes such as health-care utilization (e.g., length of stay (LOS)) and patient-reported quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this study was to determine if HGS predicted LOS and QOL. A second aim was to examine the best sensitivity (SE) and specificity (SP) for predicting length of stay (>7 or >13 days) using previously published cut-points for HGS. METHODOLOGY: HGS was measured on 1136 medical patients shortly after admission with a Lafayette dynamometer. QOL was assessed with the self-reported SF-12 completed with an interviewer during hospitalization and 30- days after discharge via telephone. Physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component scores of SF-12 were calculated. A variety of covariates were assessed (e.g., nutritional status). Multivariate analyses stratified by sex were completed. RESULTS: The mean LOS was 12.71 days (median = 8.00; SD = 13.20), 12.88 days (SD = 13.82) for males, and 12.58 days (SD = 12.68) for females. Lower admission HGS scores were associated with longer LOS (male X2 = 7.85, p < 0.05; female X2 = 14.9, p < 0.0001). The average quality of life scores were as follows: in hospital PCS: 34.66, MCS: 46.49; post discharge PCS: 36.17; MCS: 51.22. HGS predicted PCS during hospitalization (male X2 = 36.22, p < 0.0001; female X2 = 19.87, p < 0.0001) and post hospitalization (male X2 = 6.98, p < 0.01; female X2 = 10.99, p < 0.01). Various reference cut-points for HGS were tested against LOS, with none being considered appropriate (e.g., SE and SP both < 70) when adjusting for age and sex. CONCLUSION: Admission HGS adds predictive value for both LOS and physical components of QOL and is worth pursuing in practice to identify potential frailty and the need for proactive steps to mitigate further functional decline during hospitalization. However, HGS cut-points for LOS specific to acute care patients need to be defined and tested.

Quality Improvement Pilot Study of the Living Your Best Weight Program: A Health at Every Size Approach.

Purpose: Living Your Best Weight (LYBW) is an outpatient program based on Health at Every Size (HAES) principles for adults interested in managing their weight. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine perceptions of participants and their satisfaction with the LYBW program. Methods: A survey was developed to determine participant satisfaction of the LYBW program. Fifty-six participants who completed the LYBW program from June 2017 to February 2018 were contacted via telephone and invited to participate in the study. Forty-five participants agreed to receive the survey by mail or email. Results: Thirty-four participants completed the survey for a response rate of 61%. The average age of respondents was 52 years. Seventy-nine percent of respondents agreed that the program helped them to focus on health instead of weight. Eighty-two percent agreed that the program helped them respond to internal cues of hunger and fullness, and 94% were satisfied with the program. Conclusion: Participants reported that they were satisfied with the LYBW program and perceived improvements in their health. Future programming may benefit from using a HAES-based approach with adults.

Diet patterns in an ethnically diverse pediatric population with celiac disease and chronic gastrointestinal complaints.

INTRODUCTION: Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disease requiring lifelong adherence to the gluten-free diet (GFD). The GFD has significant nutritional limitations which may result in poor diet quality (DQ). We hypothesized that biopsy-proven children with CD (CCD) would have dietary patterns characterized by high saturated fat/simple sugar intake with a low micronutrient density contributing to lower DQ when compared to children with mild-gastrointestinal complaints (GI-CON). In addition, we hypothesized that ethnicity may further impact DQ. METHODS: Socio-demographic (age, CD duration, parent/child ethnicity, education), household characteristics, anthropometric, dietary intake (24-h recalls), gastrointestinal pain and adherence was collected in CCD (n = 243) and GI-CON (n = 148). Dietary patterns were determined using k-mean Cluster Analysis. RESULTS: GI-CON had significantly lower DQ than CCD (p < 0.001). Most CCD and GI-CON (>80%) had dietary patterns characterized by1) Western Diet (Cluster 1: %BMR: 110-150, low DQ, high fat, moderate CHO, high sodium) and 2) High Fat-Western Diet (Cluster 2: %BMR:130-150, low DQ, high Fat, high processed meats, high fat dairy products, CHO. Fewer children (<20%) had Prudent, Lower Fat/High Carbohydrate dietary patterns (% BMR:100-150, higher DQ, lower fat/sodium, higher CHO) with a greater proportion of non-Caucasian CCD consuming a Prudent dietary pattern. Seventy-seven percent and 37.5% of CCD and GI-CON, respectively, did not meet estimated average requirements for folate (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CCD and GI-CON have predominantly Western dietary patterns with low DQ, particularly GI-CON. Non-caucasian CCD consume more prudent dietary patterns with higher DQ. Nutrition education is warranted to ensure optimal DQ in children with chronic gastrointestinal diseases.

Food Service Workers: Reliable Assessors of Food Intake in Hospitalized Patients.

Early detection of malnutrition in hospitalized patients is of paramount importance. As poor food intake is a marker of malnutrition risk, a simple and accurate method to monitor intake is valuable. This quality assurance project aimed to determine if food service workers (FSW) were able to provide accurate estimates of patient intakes through visually assessing meal trays at an acute care hospital. FSW conducted visual estimates of patient trays after meals using the meal plate pictorial rating scale adapted from the My Meal Intake Tool and translated their estimates into one of 5 consumption levels (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100%). A total of 401 patient meal estimates were validated using the food weighing method. Spearman's correlations between percent calories consumed (determined by weight) and estimates by FSW were 0.624 (n = 137, P < 0.001), 0.771 (n = 134, P < 0.001), and 0.829 (n = 130, P < 0.001), for breakfast, lunch, and supper, respectively. Paired Wilcoxon tests and the Kruskal-Wallis H test showed that accuracy varied for breakfast, lunch, and supper. The overall sensitivity and specificity of FSW for detecting patient intake ≤50% was 81% and 88%, respectively. These findings identify that FSW can accurately estimate patient intake, contributing an important marker for the detection of malnutrition.

Handgrip Strength, but Not 5-Meter Walk, Adds Value to a Clinical Nutrition Assessment.

BACKGROUND: Decreased physical functioning is associated with malnutrition and common in acute care patients; determining loss of function is often considered part of a comprehensive nutrition assessment. Handgrip strength (HGS) and 5-meter timed walk (5m) are functional measures used in a variety of settings. This analysis sought to determine which functional measure could be added to a hospital nutrition assessment, based on its feasibility and capacity to discriminate patient subgroups. METHODS: Eligible medical patients (no delirium/dementia, admitted from community; n = 1250), recruited from 5 hospitals that participated in a previous multisite action research study, provided data on demographics, HGS, 5m, nutrition status, perceived disability, and other characteristics. RESULTS: Significantly more patients (z = 17.39, P < .00001) were able to complete HGS than 5m (92% versus 43%, respectively). Median HGS was 28.0 kg for men and 14.7 kg for women. Of patients who completed the 5m, mean completion time was 8.98 seconds (median, 6.79 seconds, SD = 6.59). 5m and HGS scores were significantly worse with patient-perceived disability (z = -9.56, t = 10.69, respectively; P < .0001; 95% confidence interval [CI], [7.33, 10.63]; [1.76, 3.18]). HGS was associated with nutrition status (t = 4.13, P < .001; 95% CI [2.02, 5.67]), although it showed poor validity as a single nutrition indicator. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that HGS is a more useful functional measure than 5m when added to a hospital nutrition assessment. Determination of HGS cutpoints to identify low strength in acute care patients will promote its use.