Malnutrition is closely related to clinical outcomes and accurate evaluation of nutritional status is the cornerstone of nutritional therapy. However, consistent diagnostic criteria for malnutrition have been absent for quite a long period. The Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria were introduced in September 2018 and served as a consensus-based evaluation tool. As per GLIM criteria, evaluation of malnutrition should follow a two-step approach with nutritional screening as the first step and then malnutrition diagnosis assessment and severity grading based on etiologic as well as phenotypic metrics. Since debut, GLIM criteria have been applied in different countries, healthcare settings and populations, showing good accuracy and prognostic value for outcomes such as complications and survival. However, most of the studies are retrospective in nature and high-quality prospective studies are needed to better validate GLIM criteria. The way to steer nutritional interventions based on GLIM criteria is also worth future investigation.

Malnutrition; Global leadership initiative on malnutrition