Nutrition Monitoring and Evaluation
Key Points
- Nutrition Monitoring and Evaluation is the fourth step in the Nutrition Care Process.
- During this step, the RDN monitors and evaluates the client's progress through consistent terms—or indicators—against criteria carefully selected by the RDN.
- Nutrition Monitoring and Evaluation sets the stage for reassessment in the next cycle of the nutrition care process.
Nutrition Monitoring and Evaluation terms mirror the domains of the Nutrition Assessment domains (except for Client History, which belongs only to the Nutrition Assessment step):
- Food/Nutrition-Related History
- Anthropometric Measurements
- Biochemical Data, Medical Test and Procedures
- Physical Exam Findings
- Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation Tools
- Etiology Category
- Comparative Standards
- Progress Evaluation
The Nutrition Monitoring & Evaluation domains contain terms that called indicators—or markers that can be observed or measured. Indicators are terms used to identify the data elements that are evaluated to measure change based on results of a nutrition intervention.
Client data can be compared against standards, recommendations or goals, such as Daily Recommended Intakes, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, guidelines for specific disease conditions or institutional and regulatory standards.
Critical Thinking in Nutrition Monitoring and Evaluation
Track goal progress and diagnosis resolution at regular intervals.
Example: Use goal progress terms (new, achieved, discontinued, not achieved, some progress toward goal, some digression away from goal).
Seek reasons why nutrition status and/or care plan outcomes are not met.
Example: Weight trend is increased pre-dialysis and higher than usual fluid intake is identified in client with kidney disease.
Enablers and barriers to progress are noted and supported without judgement.
Examples: Client has ability to build social network. Strategies to address social determinants are planned.
Determine if client care expectations and professional goals can be met.
Examples: Client oral intake supports needs; tube feeding stopped. Client can identify food options for celebrations and lab values are acceptable.
Visit the Academy's eNCPT for additional training and subscription information for using the terminology in Electronic Health Record (EHR) or Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems.
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