5. Abnormal findings

Abnormal findings and what they may signal — each warrants Mode B focused documentation and, where parameters are met, intervention and notification:

• Reduced intake, poor appetite, or early satiety.
• Unintentional weight loss meeting risk thresholds, or unintended weight gain.
• Nonadherence to or intolerance of the prescribed therapeutic diet.
• Signs of malnutrition — visible muscle or fat wasting, weight loss, and reduced intake together.
• Difficulty chewing or swallowing that limits safe intake (mechanics in Taste / Swallowing).
• Enteral complications — intolerance, an elevated residual per parameters, a clogged or dislodged tube, or a site problem.
• Barriers — food insecurity, poor dentition, cognitive or functional limits on meal preparation.
• GI symptoms limiting intake — nausea, vomiting, or constipation.