Chapter 8: Nutrition and fluid balance
Skip chapter table of contents and go to main content
Post‐procedural considerations
Consideration must be given to the patient's weight and whether this reflects a change in their clinical condition. The weight may be being used as part of a nutritional screening or for the planning of treatment, for example medication dosage. Any significant changes should be interpreted in light of potential changes in body composition and incorporated into the patient's care plan. For example, a loss of weight may require further questioning about dietary intake and the commencement of a nutritional care plan.
After taking a measurement of height, it is useful to check with the patient that the figure obtained is approximately the height expected. However, it is important to consider that patients may report a loss in height with increasing years. Cumulative height loss from ages 30 to 70 years may be about 3 cm for men and 5 cm for women, and by age 80 years it can increase to 5 cm for men and 8 cm for women (Sorkin et al. [174]).
