must_screening_tool: Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST)

In cliot: Clinical Indices and Outcomes Tools

Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST)

Description

Calculates the MUST score to identify adults who are malnourished, at risk of malnutrition (undernutrition), or obese. It also includes management guidelines which can be used to develop a care plan.

Usage

must_screening_tool(bmi, weight_loss_percent, acute_disease_effect)

Arguments

bmi	Numeric. Body Mass Index (kg/m^2). >20.0: 0 pts. 18.5-20.0: 1 pt. <18.5: 2 pts.
weight_loss_percent	Numeric. Unplanned weight loss in the past 3-6 months (percent). <5%: 0 pts. 5-10%: 1 pt. >10%: 2 pts.
acute_disease_effect	Numeric (0 or 1). Is the patient acutely ill and there has been or is likely to be no nutritional intake for >5 days? (1 = Yes, +2 pts).

Value

A list containing:

MUST_Score	The calculated total score (Range 0-6).
Risk_Category	Classification (Low Risk: 0, Medium Risk: 1, High Risk: >=2).
Management_Guideline	General management recommendations based on the risk category.

References

Stratton RJ, Hackston A, Longmore D, et al. Malnutrition in hospital outpatients and inpatients: prevalence, concurrent validity and ease of use of the 'malnutrition universal screening tool' ('MUST') for adults. Br J Nutr. 2004;92(5):799-808. doi:10.1079/bjn20041258

Examples

# Example 1: High Risk
# BMI 17 (+2), No weight loss (0), No acute illness (0)
# Score = 2
must_screening_tool(17, 0, 0)

# Example 2: Medium Risk
# BMI 22 (0), 7% weight loss (+1), No acute illness (0)
# Score = 1
must_screening_tool(22, 7, 0)

cliot documentation built on Dec. 1, 2025, 1:06 a.m.