Developments and challenges in family practice nutrition education for residents and practicing physicians: an overview of the North American experience

The history of nutrition education in family medicine residency training and continuing medical education (CME) in North America is briefly reviewed. Past efforts have been successful in improving knowledge and attitudes toward nutrition. Some of the barriers to physicians providing nutrition services to their patients, such as poor reimbursement for those services, are largely outside the domain of medical educators. However, the education and training of family practice residents and practicing physicians in nutrition has not yet fully matured. Strategies are needed that impact physician counseling behaviors. Strengthening the content of certification examinations, providing evidence that brief counseling strategies impact patient outcomes, and role modeling counseling through multimedia delivery are three educational strategies with potential.