Analysis of the Effectiveness of the Mini-Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF) in Evaluating the Nutritional Status of Elderly Patients at High Risk for Pressure Injury

doi:10.12104/j.issn.1674-4748.2025.07.010

Abstract：Objective: To analyze the effectiveness of the Mini-Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF) in evaluating the nutritional status of elderly patients at high risk for pressure injuries. Methods: A convenience sampling method was used to select 87 elderly patients at high risk for pressure injuries who were treated in the hospital from January to December 2022. All patients had a Braden scale score ≤16, and completed the Braden scale, MNA-SF, and Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002) as well as clinical examinations within 48 hours of admission. The incidence of malnutrition and pressure injuries was statistically analyzed. The correlation between MNA-SF scores and biochemical indicators, such as body mass index, was analyzed. Additionally, multivariate unconditional logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the relationship between MNA-SF and pressure injuries. Results: Among the 87 patients, 63 were identified with malnutrition through laboratory tests. NRS 2002 and MNA-SF detected 46 and 58 patients with nutritional risks, respectively. There was good consistency between MNA-SF scores and laboratory-confirmed malnutrition (Kappa value = 0.623), while the consistency between NRS 2002 and laboratory tests was moderate (Kappa value = 0.322). Pearson correlation analysis showed that MNA-SF was significantly negatively correlated with serum total protein, serum albumin, prealbumin, hemoglobin, calf circumference, mid-arm circumference, and body mass index (P < 0.05), and significantly positively correlated with NRS 2002 (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of pressure injuries between patients identified with nutritional risks by NRS 2002 and MNA-SF (P > 0.05). Multivariate unconditional logistic regression analysis showed that MNA-SF scores and NRS 2002 scores were influencing factors for pressure injuries in elderly patients at high risk (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The MNA-SF has high application value in assessing the nutritional status of elderly patients at high risk for pressure injuries and can be used for nutritional assessment and prediction of pressure injury occurrence in this population.