What methods can a nurse use to assess a patient’s nutritional status?

The correct choice for assessing a patient’s nutritional status involves evaluating dietary intake, weight history, and lab values. This approach is comprehensive and addresses key aspects of nutrition.

Evaluating dietary intake helps identify the types and amounts of food a patient consumes, which directly impacts their nutritional health. This can include analyzing food diaries, 24-hour dietary recalls, or food frequency questionnaires. Understanding the patient's weight history is crucial, as significant changes in weight can signal nutritional deficiencies or excesses. Finally, laboratory values such as serum albumin, prealbumin, hemoglobin, and other relevant tests provide objective data regarding the patient's nutritional status, revealing potential deficiencies or imbalances in vitamins, minerals, or macronutrients.

While monitoring heart rate and blood pressure can provide insights into the overall health status, it does not specifically assess nutritional status. Examining skin turgor and hydration levels relates more to fluid balance rather than nutrition. Assessing exercise routines can give context to a patient’s lifestyle but does not provide a direct measure of nutritional intake or status.