Abstract
<jats:p>Assessment is a key part of the Nutrition and Dietetic Care Process and requires a range of high‐level critical thinking skills. Nutrition assessment is a structured process of gathering and analysing information to make informed decisions about the nature, extent and causes of nutrition‐related health issues. Malnutrition is ‘a state of nutrition in which a deficiency or excess of energy, protein and other nutrients causes measurable adverse effects on tissue and body form, and function and clinical outcome’. Undernutrition is a prevalent and expensive issue; it has numerous negative short‐term and long‐term impacts on health, functionality and recovery, and in most cases it is treatable. Nutrition screening should be a rapid, simple and practical procedure carried out at first contact with an individual to identify those at risk of undernutrition, so that a detailed nutrition assessment can be undertaken, and treatment can be implemented.</jats:p>