Implementation of Nurse-Led Nutritional Screening in a Community Oncology Setting

Patients receiving oncology care are at risk for malnutrition, which is associated with decreased cancer treatment tolerance, lower quality of life, and increased mortality. Implementation of frequent nutritional screening is critical to mitigating malnutrition risk and improving patient outcomes. Guidelines recommend frequent nutritional screening using validated screening tools in the ambulatory oncology setting, yet screening is not part of standard supportive care. This quality improvement project implemented a nurse-led nutritional screening process and risk screening tool in a community oncology practice.