Holistic assessment of nutritional status in preterm infants

In the video above, Professor Nicholas Embleton ties together content across the course by explaining how to assess nutritional status using the ABCDE concept.

It is important to be able to assimilate the knowledge you have gained over the 4 weeks and this technique is a useful tool to help you do so. Nutrition in preterm infants is complex and many factors can affect nutritional status. Providing a holistic assessment of infants’ nutritional needs can improve both your personal practice and the care you provide to your patients.

Remember ABCDE stands for:

• Anthropometry
• Blood work and biochemistry
• Clinical
• Dietary intake
• Environment and evaluation

An example of a nutritional assessment tool which could be used in your clinical practice can be found in the downloads section.