A nurse needed to do a quick assessment of a client’s lifestyle behavi

A nurse needed to do a quick assessment of a client’s lifestyle behaviors to counsel appropriately. Which of the following strategies would be the easiest way to determine the elderly woman’s nutritional status?

a. Ask the woman to keep a food diary for 2 weeks and bring it to the clinic
b. Have the clinic dietitian interview the woman about her eating habits
c. Quiz the woman verbally as to her usual meals during the day
d. Use the DETERMINE mnemonic

ESSAYBID ANSWER

ANS: D
All the responses are good approaches. However, the nurse should take a broad view of what assets or barriers are involved in relation to nutrition. A nutrition checklist, described by the mnemonic DETERMINE, reviews warning signs and risk factors of poor nutritional health. (See Table 19-2 in the textbook for more information).