The public health nurse did a nutritional assessment on a well elderly client who was living at home with some assistance from home health aides and family members
In order to estimate if the client was at risk for malnutrition, she consulted the Dietary Reference Index to determine the general intake for the client based on age and gender. One important point for the nurse to remember when using the DRI is: 1. DRI recommendations are easy to use and are individualized for clients based on medical problems.
2. Age and gender are the two variables needed to individualize recommendations to an individual.
3. DRI values are intended as general guidelines for a population group rather than an individual.
4. Only medical providers are trained to use the DRI.
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Rationale: DRI values can be confusing to health-care personnel because they specify levels of nutrients rather than food choices. The recommendations are intended for use with healthy individuals. Five variables must be accommodated in order to successfully translate population suggestion into food choices for an individual: age, body size, daily energy expenditure, any relevant medical conditions, and dietary habits. DRI values are intended as general guidelines for a population group rather than an individual.
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