Clinical practice guidelines from the French Health High Authority: nutritional support strategy in protein-energy malnutrition in the elderly

Abstract

These guidelines were produced at the request of the General Directorate of Health within the scope of the French Nutrition and Health Program (PNNS). They concern the management of malnutrition in elderly persons living at home, in institutional care, or in hospital. They belong to a recent series of studies published by ANAES(1) or HAS. Preceding studies concerned the "Diagnostic assessment of protein-energy malnutrition in hospitalized adults" (ANAES, September 2003) and the work conducted by the Committee for the Assessment of Devices and Health Technologies (CEPP) on "Reimbursement procedures for dietary foods for special medical purposes for nutritional supplementation and home enteral nutrition" (HAS, September 2006). The objective of these guidelines is to develop a tool for identifying and managing elderly subjects who are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.