Table 2 NICE Criteria for determining people at high risk of developing refeeding problems [13]

Patient has one or more of the following:

   - BMI less than 16 kg/m2

   - unintentional weight loss greater than 15% within the last 3–6 months

   - little or no nutritional intake for more than 10 days

   - low levels of potassium, phosphate or magnesium prior to feeding.

Or patient has two or more of the following:

   - BMI less than 18.5 kg/m2

   - unintentional weight loss greater than 10% within the last 3–6 months

   - little or no nutritional intake for more than 5 days

   - a history of alcohol abuse or drugs including insulin, chemotherapy, antacids or diuretics.