NRS-2002

NRS-2002 — Nutritional Risk Screening: ESPEN-recommended tool for all hospitalised patients. Score ≥ 3 = nutritional risk. Mandatory screening within 24h of admission in many NHS/EU hospitals.

Step 1 — Initial Screening

No criteria met — Re-screen weekly or if clinical status changes.

Guidelines & Evidence

Verified

Last Review: 2026-07-17

When to Use

Identifying hospitalized patients who are at risk of malnutrition

Triggering a formal dietary and nutritional support intervention (enteral/parenteral nutrition)

Standardizing nutritional assessment on admission to the hospital

Patient Population

All adult patients admitted to the hospital. Strongly endorsed by ESPEN (European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism).

How it Works

Two-Step Process

Initial Screening: Are BMI < 20.5? Weight loss in last 3 months? Reduced intake in last week? Severe illness? (If ANY Yes, proceed to final screening)

Final Screening Part 1 (Impaired Nutritional Status): Scores 0 to 3 based on severity of weight loss and reduced oral intake.

Final Screening Part 2 (Severity of Disease): Scores 0 to 3 based on metabolic stress (e.g., hip fracture=1, major abdominal surgery=2, ICU with APACHE >10 = 3).

Age Modifier: Add 1 point if age ≥ 70 years.

Interpretation Thresholds

Score ≥ 3	Patient is nutritionally at-risk. A nutritional care plan should be initiated.
Score < 3	Not currently at risk, but should be rescreened weekly during hospitalization.

Last Comprehensive Review: 2026-07-17

Recent Journal Updates

Cancer MedicineJul 22, 2026

Analysis of Age, Period and Cohort Trends in Cervical In Situ and Invasive Carcinomas for Assessing the Utility of Screening Approaches—Results From the Saarland Cancer Registry

Clinical Context

We think this might be relevant to the clinical guidance for NRS-2002 (Nutritional Risk Screening).

Clinical Pharmacology TherapeuticsJul 20, 2026

Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling for the Iminosugar Lucerastat Supports Dose Adaptation in Patients With Fabry Disease and Moderate to Severe Renal Function Impairment

Clinical Context

We think this has broad domain relevance to NRS-2002 (Nutritional Risk Screening).

WHO NewsJul 18, 2026

WHO Member States continue negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex

Clinical Context

We think this has broad domain relevance to NRS-2002 (Nutritional Risk Screening).

NRS-2002

When to Use

When to Use

Patient Population

How it Works

Two-Step Process

Interpretation Thresholds

Clinical Pearls

Clinical Pearl

Known Limitations

Next Steps

Actionable Clinical Management

The Evidence

Derivation Study

Nutritional risk screening (NRS 2002): a new method based on an analysis of controlled clinical trials.

Recent Journal Updates

NRS-2002

When to Use

When to Use

Patient Population

How it Works

Two-Step Process

Interpretation Thresholds

Clinical Pearls

Clinical Pearl

Known Limitations

Next Steps

Actionable Clinical Management

The Evidence

Derivation Study

Nutritional risk screening (NRS 2002): a new method based on an analysis of controlled clinical trials.

Recent Journal Updates