Nutrition: managing severe acute malnutrition with poor appetite: practice question

A PSM question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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PSM · Nutrition: managing severe acute malnutrition with poor appetite

Sample item

A 2-year-old has mid upper arm circumference of 10.9 cm, no oedema, and refuses the ready-to-use therapeutic food in the appetite test. Where should she be managed?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Facility-based care at a nutrition rehabilitation centre

A child with SAM who fails the appetite test, or has oedema or medical complications, needs facility-based care. Only SAM children with good appetite and no complications are managed at home with therapeutic food. A refused test feed signals metabolic complications.

Option by option

  • A. Take-home supplementary ration only

    A ration of supplementary food is for moderate malnutrition.

  • B. Home-based care with ready-to-use food

    Home care is only for those who pass the appetite test and have no complications.

  • C. Facility-based care at a nutrition rehabilitation centre (correct)

    Correct. Failing the appetite test requires inpatient care.

  • D. Counselling and review after one month

    Delay risks death in a child with SAM.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this PSM question

What is the answer to this PSM question?

The best answer is C, Facility-based care at a nutrition rehabilitation centre. A child with SAM who fails the appetite test, or has oedema or medical complications, needs facility-based care.

Why is "Take-home supplementary ration only" not the answer?

A ration of supplementary food is for moderate malnutrition.

Why is "Home-based care with ready-to-use food" not the answer?

Home care is only for those who pass the appetite test and have no complications.

Why is "Counselling and review after one month" not the answer?

Delay risks death in a child with SAM.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Nutrition: managing severe acute malnutrition with poor appetite in PSM. Only SAM children with good appetite and no complications are managed at home with therapeutic food. A refused test feed signals metabolic complications.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Nutrition: managing severe acute malnutrition with poor appetite?

Practise biostatistics with small calculations until sensitivity, predictive values and risk measures are automatic. Then use the flashcards and the other PSM questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.