A Pediatric Perspective to the Malnutrition Care Score (MCS)

About the Course

Pediatric malnutrition prevents children from achieving their full cognitive, developmental, and growth potential; thus, it should be of great concern to all pediatric clinicians.

Learning Objectives

• Describe how health inequity and food insecurity contribute to pediatric malnutrition in communities.
• Summarize how pediatric malnutrition impacts cognitive, developmental, and health outcomes.
• Discuss how nutrition-focused quality improvement measures, such as the Malnutrition Care Score, can improve the quality and equity of nutrition care for pediatric patients.
• Identify the necessary adaptations to the Malnutrition Care Score for use in pediatrics, including validation of screening and assessment tools.
• Describe practical steps in implementing a nutrition-focused quality improvement measure, such as the Malnutrition Care Score, into care settings for pediatrics.