Changes in Nutrition Focused Physical Examination Knowledge and Practices of Dietitians Who Completed an In-Person Workshop With 1-Year Online Follow-Up in Malaysia. (7th June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lim, Cassandra; Brody, Rebecca; Sackey, Joachim D; Touger-Decker, Riva E; Chee, Winnie SS; Chen, Seong-Ting; Tomesko, Jennifer
• Is Part Of: Current developments in nutrition. Volume 5(2021)Supplement 2
• Page Start: 480
• Page End: 480
• Publication Date: 2021-06-07
• Subjects: Nutrition -- Periodicals; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Nutrition; Periodicals; Periodicals; Fulltext; Internet Resources; Periodicals; 612.3
• DOI: 10.1093/cdn/nzab040_004
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2475-2991

Abstract

Abstract: Objectives: Nutrition-focused physical examination (NFPE) is a component of nutrition assessment performed by dietitians. There is limited research globally on NFPE practices of dietitians. This study explored changes in NFPE knowledge and practices over 1-year among clinical dietitians in Malaysia who completed a hybrid NFPE training program. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data from a pilot study. Participants attended a 2-day in-person workshop in Malaysia with quarterly online follow-up over 1-year. A 50-item multiple-choice knowledge test was completed by participants before and immediately, 6- and 12-months post-training. They completed data collection forms with self-reported performance of 43 NFPE practice tasks conducted during patient assessments before and 6- and 12-months post-training. Descriptive statistics, one-way repeated-measures ANOVA for knowledge assessment scores and Chi-square tests for changes in frequencies of NFPE performance were used for analyses; statistical significance was P ≤ 0.05. Results: Of the 16 clinical dietitian participants who enrolled, 81.3% ( n = 13) completed the study. Participants had a mean of 9.3 ± 6.4 years ofclinical practice; 81.3% ( n = 13) had no prior NFPE training. Mean NFPE knowledge scores increased significantly from before (33.8 ± 3.9) to immediately post-training (44.0 ± 3.2; P < 0.001); this increase was sustained to 12-months post-training (43.3 ± 2.9; P < 0.001). Performance of all 43 NFPE practice tasks increased significantly from before to 12-months post-training ( P < 0.001). Conclusions: Clinical dietitian participants in this study increased their knowledge and practice of NFPE from before to 12-months post-training. In-person NFPE training with 1-year online follow-up is feasible for training clinical dietitians in Malaysia. Future research should explore using a control group to examine the effectiveness of a hybrid NFPE training program in this population. Funding Sources: Rutgers Global Grant.