Reason From Cues to a Prioritized Diagnosis

Inference is a tested conclusion, not a guess

A nutrition diagnosis is an inference drawn from assessment evidence. Good inference begins with a neutral problem representation: summarize the person, setting, time course, main nutrition findings, and relevant modifiers in one sentence without naming a diagnosis. Then ask which single nutrition problem best explains the pattern. Seek convergence across intake, anthropometrics, biochemical data, physical findings, and history. Check whether the timing fits. Look actively for evidence that would contradict the conclusion. A patient with five days of intake below half of estimated needs, nausea beginning after chemotherapy, and ongoing weight loss supports an intake problem. The same weight loss with reported adequate intake, uncontrolled losses, or a major fluid shift requires a different explanation. Do not treat an association as causation, infer behavior from a laboratory value, or assume that the referral diagnosis supplies missing nutrition evidence.