Remote Nutrition Counseling: Considerations in a New Channel for Client Communication

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A majority of people own a smart phone and many people download apps on their phones to help them with things in their daily lives. In the Nutrition and Dietetics field it would be beneficial to reach people through an app and give support of nutrition education. Remote nutrition counseling is a way for RDNs to counsel patients outside of the traditional methods. RDNs can counsel people via video chats, emails, texting, and mobile apps.

An app called MobileRD allows dietitians to communicate with clients. The users can create their own profiles and enter their daily nutritional information, physical activity, and any concerns they have. Every night a midnight the app forwards the information to the RDN for them to evaluate and respond to the clients via a secure email. This is just one example of many apps that RDNs can use to communicate with patients. However, with the use of this newer technology comes the risk of violating HIPPA by having information lost or stolen. It is also possible for personal information to be shared through social media by mistake. These mishaps could cause some serious problems for RDNs if they are not careful when using these applications.

As Telehealth becomes more of a popular norm, Clinical Nutrition Mangers need to be aware of the benefits from using these resources as well as the dangers. With the demand for everyone to be connected it makes sense that people would like to receive nutrition guidance via their cell phones. CNMs need to stay up to date with this emerging trend so that they can help their employees if they decided to use this type of counseling in their practices.

-KM


 Stein, K. (2015). Remote nutrition counseling: Considerations in a new channel for client communication. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 115(10), 1561-1571.

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