How Advanced-Practice Dietitians Do Their Jobs
In the most recent volume of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, there was a really informative Delphi study on advanced registered dietitians and the clinical activities they perform.
Unlike a lot of other professions in the medical field, it's still hard to define what it means to practice advanced-level dietetics. This Delphi study surveyed 117 dietitians who have had an average of 25 years clinical experience. Below are some of the areas the study looked at and the responses of the surveyed dietitians:
Nutrition-Assessment Practice Activities - the advanced-practice registered dietitian nutritionists (APRDNs) were very skilled at gathering detailed food and nutrition histories in a streamlined and efficient manner. They tended to focus on the following: procedures and treatment, patterns of addiction and weight changes, complementary and alternative medicine, and depression, anxiety and eating disorders. In order to gather information from patients, the dietitians surveyed said they used a combination of motivational interviewing, open-ended questioning, active listening, and redirecting.
Those surveyed felt it was necessary to have an in-depth knowledge of how tests, procedures and their results relate to comorbidities. They felt that advanced knowledge in biochemical data, medical tests and procedures was an extremely important skill set.
Nutrition Diagnosis Practice Activities - the APRDNs felt that nutrition diagnosing required frequent reassessment and nutrition diagnoses need to be comprehensive and relevant.
Nutrition-Intervention Practice Activities - the APRDNs strongly endorsed the need for using a patient- and family- centered approach to education and counseling. They felt that having a strong understanding of what motivates a patient/client and using individualized strategies yielded the best outcomes. They stressed the importance of providing education on complex medical nutrition therapies and making sure to prioritize diet modifications for complex medical situations. Again, many of the APRDNs felt that motivational interviewing was helpful in successfully educating patients.
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As we head into our summer clinical rotations, it's important to recognize that there are many experts in our field and we should look to them for the best ways to administer nutrition care. The RDs surveyed in this study have years and years of experience and it's so beneficial to learn about the ways they do their jobs.
- AP
Unlike a lot of other professions in the medical field, it's still hard to define what it means to practice advanced-level dietetics. This Delphi study surveyed 117 dietitians who have had an average of 25 years clinical experience. Below are some of the areas the study looked at and the responses of the surveyed dietitians:
Nutrition-Assessment Practice Activities - the advanced-practice registered dietitian nutritionists (APRDNs) were very skilled at gathering detailed food and nutrition histories in a streamlined and efficient manner. They tended to focus on the following: procedures and treatment, patterns of addiction and weight changes, complementary and alternative medicine, and depression, anxiety and eating disorders. In order to gather information from patients, the dietitians surveyed said they used a combination of motivational interviewing, open-ended questioning, active listening, and redirecting.
Those surveyed felt it was necessary to have an in-depth knowledge of how tests, procedures and their results relate to comorbidities. They felt that advanced knowledge in biochemical data, medical tests and procedures was an extremely important skill set.
Nutrition Diagnosis Practice Activities - the APRDNs felt that nutrition diagnosing required frequent reassessment and nutrition diagnoses need to be comprehensive and relevant.
Nutrition-Intervention Practice Activities - the APRDNs strongly endorsed the need for using a patient- and family- centered approach to education and counseling. They felt that having a strong understanding of what motivates a patient/client and using individualized strategies yielded the best outcomes. They stressed the importance of providing education on complex medical nutrition therapies and making sure to prioritize diet modifications for complex medical situations. Again, many of the APRDNs felt that motivational interviewing was helpful in successfully educating patients.
---
As we head into our summer clinical rotations, it's important to recognize that there are many experts in our field and we should look to them for the best ways to administer nutrition care. The RDs surveyed in this study have years and years of experience and it's so beneficial to learn about the ways they do their jobs.
- AP
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