A new systematic assessment of malnutrition, created by researchers at Penn State, will aid dietitians and other health care providers in diagnosis and treatment. Gordon Jensen, professor and head of nutritional sciences at Penn State, estimates that up to 50 percent of patients in hospitals and nursing facilities are malnourished. Although malnutrition is widespread, confusion exists in the clinical community on how to best make this diagnose. Malnourished patients are frequently not identified as such, and those not affected are sometimes thought to be malnourished. This systematic assessment is a new approach created for health care professionals to enable them to appropriately diagnosis and treat malnutrition in patients. The assessment describes syndromes of malnutrition in the context of starvation, chronic disease and/or acute disease or injury. It can help guide practitioners in discerning appropriate nutrition interventions and anticipated outcomes.