TABLE 2.

Tips for implementing recommendations into practice

Identification

Consider incorporating screening for malnutrition and sarcopenia into existing multidisciplinary and/or supportive care screening processes or patient‐reported outcomes to aid ease of completion and compliance, reduce the need for additional resources and to support the initiation of appropriate assessment and care.

Screening should focus on early identification using a systematised model of care or pathway that defines the tools to be used, who will conduct screening, the timing and frequency of screening, and pathways for treatment referrals appropriate to the setting.

Assessment

Malnutrition assessment should be incorporated into the appropriate nutrition care policy directives with local governance, management committees and performance review processes embedded to support successful and sustainable implementation.

A measure of muscle mass should be a component of assessment of malnutrition and sarcopenia and incorporated into routine clinical practice.

Identification of barriers and enablers to malnutrition and sarcopenia assessment at individual, team and system levels is the first step to facilitate adherence to evidence‐based nutrition care recommendations and policies.

Treatment

Models of care to treat malnutrition and sarcopenia should provide consistent information regarding cancer‐related malnutrition and sarcopenia across disciplines and throughout phases of treatment to ensure reinforcement of a clear treatment plan.

Consider the use of a care pathway, or similar process, developed by MDT members and people with cancer to support implementation of optimal care for cancer‐related malnutrition and sarcopenia.

Multidisciplinary care

Engage consumers in the development and evaluation of MDT services across the continuum of care.

Utilise a framework, for example team mental model, to develop and refine MDT services to optimise the success of the team, and importantly clinical and patient‐reported outcome and experience measures.