M100 Assess nutritional assessment scales Q&A: 5 key questions - answered

Published on 13 Aug 2026

We recently launched our M100 Assess nutritional assessment column scale to help the healthcare sector detect malnutrition earlier, reduce inconsistencies and save valuable time and costs.

Developed in collaboration with BAPEN, the scales turn routine weighing into a structured nutritional assessment workflow, thanks to integrated Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) and Waist-To-Height Ratio (WHtR) calculations.

As a result, disparate readings, wider data and documents are no longer needed, creating more streamlined processes and enabling earlier identification of malnutrition, which is costing the NHS in excess of £20billion a year.

Having worked with 200+ NHS Trusts over the last 100 years, we understand that introducing any new type of clinical equipment is an important investment that must be carefully considered.

Here, we answer five key questions nurses, doctors, ward managers and clinicians may initially have about the M100 Assess:

1. ‘We already weigh patients routinely. What value does the M100 Assess add?’

Standard weighing gives you a number. The M100 Assess turns that number into a structured nutritional assessment. Rather than recording weight and then separately calculating BMI, manually working through MUST-scoring criteria, and transcribing results into patient records, the M100 Assess integrates these steps into a single workflow.

By incorporating MUST calculations and WHtR assessment capture into the actual weighing process, there’s less manual calculation, fewer transcription errors, and a more complete record; all from a single interaction with a patient.

2. ‘How does MUST integration work in practice?’

Recommended by NICE, MUST is the most widely-used nutritional screening tool in the UK. It is also the screening tool that, in practice, is most susceptible to being skipped, partially completed or inconsistently applied because of its historic reliance on manual steps that sit outside the act of weighing itself.

The M100 Assess embeds MUST-related workflows directly into the weighing process. After capturing weight and height, the scale supports the structured data capture that feeds into MUST scoring, reducing the need for clinicians to carry out separate calculations from memory or additional documents.

What’s more, the M100 Assess has been designed with direct input from the organisation that developed MUST, the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN).  This means that the M100 workflow reflects how MUST is intended to be used, not simply how it tends to be used on a day-to-day basis.

3. ‘We don’t routinely measure waist circumference. Is WHtR something we need to think about?’

WHtR is a measure that’s widely recognised as being useful. However, it isn’t always captured due to the fact it involves an additional measurement step and separate calculation, which means it tends to get overlooked, particularly during busier periods.

The M100 Assess addresses this challenge by integrating WHtR assessment capture into the standard weighing workflow. Rather than treating it as an additional task, the scale makes it a natural part of the same interaction. This means teams no longer have to adopt a new process, they simply get more from the process they already use.

For wards and clinics working to improve early identification of weight-related health conditions and long-term metabolic risk, this represents a meaningful step forward without a significant increase in their workload.

4. ‘We have a high staff turnover and varying levels of experience. Can different team members consistently use the M100 Assess?’

Consistency is one of the biggest challenges in nutritional screening at scale, and it’s a challenge the M100 Assess has been specifically designed to address.

When screening depends on individual knowledge, recall and a sequence of separate manual steps, variation is inevitable. A more experienced member of staff may complete MUST accurately and efficiently. A newer colleague, or someone covering an unfamiliar ward, may apply it differently, or completely miss steps because of time pressures.

The M100 Assess reduces these risks by embedding the workflow into the tool itself. The process is guided and structured, which means the quality of the output is less dependent on individual familiarity with MUST criteria. This supports more consistent screening across different staff members, shift patterns and ward environments.

For ward managers and clinical leads, this also has implications for audit. Structured, consistent documentation means better records and stronger evidence of compliance with NICE expectations for nutritional assessment.

5. ‘With NHS budgets under significant pressure, how can I justify the investment?’

Malnutrition reportedly contributes approximately £22.6billion in NHS costs each year. Those costs are not just driven by malnutrition itself, but the consequences of late or missed identification. For instance, longer hospital stays, higher complication rates, slower recovery times and increased pressure on already stretched clinical resources.

The M100 Assess addresses the investment question in two ways:

·         Improving operational efficiency - by reducing manual steps, separate calculations, and transcription time, it frees up clinical time that compounds across every weighing interaction across every shift

·         Enabling earlier identification - more consistent and complete nutritional screening means nutritional risk is identified sooner, supporting earlier intervention and more informed patient outcomes.

The M100 Assess isn’t an add-on to clinical practice. It’s designed to modernise one of the most routine tasks in hospital care, and ultimately make the task of weighing add more value without any extra complexity, steps or cost.

We hope you’ve found this Q&A useful and that it’s answered any initial queries you may have about the M100 Assess. If you have any other questions, please get in touch by emailing sales@marsdengroup.co.uk or calling 01709 364296.

Alternatively, to book a free demo and see how the M100 Assess turns standard weighing into a complete nutritional assessment, complete this short form.