PD095 - DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NUTRIMENTAL SCREENER FOR NUTRITIONAL RISK IN MENTAL HEALTH CARE

PD095

DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NUTRIMENTAL SCREENER FOR NUTRITIONAL RISK IN MENTAL HEALTH CARE

A. S. Mueller-Stierlin^1,*, R. Hiltensperger¹, S. B. Teasdale² on behalf of NutriMental Screener Group

¹University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany, ²University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Rationale: People with mental health conditions frequently experience complex and multidimensional nutrition-related problems, contributing to somatic comorbidities, reduced quality of life, and premature mortality. Common screening tools such as the MUST primarily focus on undernutrition and may not adequately capture the broader spectrum of nutrition risk relevant to mental health populations. This study aimed to develop & evaluate a novel screening tool that identifies both malnutrition and wider nutrition-related risks in mental health care. 

Methods: The NutriMental screener was developed using a participatory approach involving service users and multidisciplinary experts. Feasibility and validation studies were conducted in Switzerland, Germany, and Australia. Additionally, a mixed-methods implementation study was carried out in psychosomatic rehabilitation clinics in Germany to evaluate integration into routine care and its impact on referral pathways within multiprofessional teams.

Results: The NutriMental screener demonstrated feasibility and acceptability across international settings. Validation analyses in 200 service users found clinically appropriate sensitivity-specificity trade-offs, supporting its ability to identify individuals at risk of malnutrition, disordered eating, and other nutrition-related problems. Implementation in rehabilitation clinics enabled early identification of nutritional risk at admission and improved structured referral to nutrition professionals within multiprofessional teams.

Conclusion: The NutriMental screener is a feasible and scalable alternative to traditional malnutrition screening tools for mental health settings, retaining the ability to detect malnutrition while capturing a broader spectrum of nutrition-related risks. Its implementation supports early initiation of the Nutrition Care Process and facilitates needs-adapted, patient-centred dietary interventions.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared