PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Francesca Tabacchi AU - Vasiliki Iatridi AU - Jonathan Tammam AU - Eila Watson AU - Shelly Coe TI - Under-identification of cancer outpatients at risk of malnutrition: are we making the most of anthropometric data? AID - 10.7861/fhj.2022-0072 DP - 2022 Nov 01 TA - Future Healthcare Journal PG - 310--312 VI - 9 IP - 3 4099 - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/9/3/310.short 4100 - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/9/3/310.full SO - Future Healthc J2022 Nov 01; 9 AB - In oncological outpatient settings, patients often require nutritional support after they have developed malnutrition. A delayed dietetic referral can lead to increased difficulties in providing therapies and surgery, and to poorer patient outcomes. The audit described in this article aimed to assess the frequency and completeness of patient record documentation of anthropometric measurements in a day treatment unit (DTU) in a single cancer centre in the UK. The underlying goal was to improve anthropometry monitoring procedures to ensure that documentation is sufficient to indicate weight loss and, hence, allow timely referrals for nutrition support. The results show that, for over 80% of patients, it was not possible to identify a weight trend between the latest two treatments received at the hospital. The audit findings highlight the need to improve malnutrition monitoring and to ensure patient records contain updated and accurate anthropometric measurements in order to facilitate medical staff to recognise early malnutrition risk and refer for appropriate nutritional support when needed.