Development of a structured, digital nutrition awareness tool, the Pedi R-MAPP.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to an unprecedented change in healthcare systems, including the swift roll-out of technology-enabled care services, such as remote consultations. Interventions such as nutrition assessments for children are likely to continue to be conducted remotely as part of an online consultation. This article considers nutrition screening and nutritional assessment in children in acute and primary care settings. The article also provides an overview of the development of the Paediatric Remote Malnutrition Application (Pedi-R-MAPP), designed to assist healthcare professionals to undertake a standardised, nutrition-focused assessment via remote consultation and/or in primary care settings. The aim of the Pedi-R-MAPP is to help identify children with declining nutritional status or new nutritional concerns and to recommend frequency of review based on the outcomes of the assessment.