Newsletter

[ Vol. 14 No. 1 ] (January - April 2013 )
BNT : A challenging nutrition screening / assessment tool

AVM.Vibul Trakulhoon
Surgery and Nutrition Support Unit, Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital (Thailand)

BNT (Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital Nutrition Triage) was developed in 2000 and tested for compatibility to SGA among 50 surgical patients in 2002. The test revealed that the inter– relationship and inter–raters reliability between the 2 tools and 2 examiners (surgical residents) were found around88.5 %. The followings studies in 2002 and 2006 showed that the rating of malnutrition levels were compatible between SGA and BNT in 330 and 339 surgical in–patients participated in the trials respectively.

A one-day Nutrition Day Project has been set up to stimulate nutrition screening and assessment for the in-patients in 2008. There were 33 hospitals participated the project. The program consisted of lecture about nutrition screening tools such as SGA, NRS, and BNT for comparison. After that the workshops were followed for a practical point of view. However, selection of the tool to be used were up to individual hospital.

Most of the 33 hospitals selected BNT as a malnutrition screening tool. The Thai Dietetic Association also presented BNT format on the web site.

We are now on the process of brain storming to improve BNT to be NTT (Nutrition Triage of Thailand) with the support and cooperation from the Association of General Surgeons of Thailand and the 33 hospitals. The BNT is easy, practical, predictable, little time-consumed, as well as numerically system for nutrition screening and assessment tool.

From  
The 14^th Congress of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Society of Asia
“From Nutrition Support to Nutrition Therapy”
October 14-16, 2011, Taipei, Taiwan 
Page: 20