Total nutritional therapy: a nutrition education program for physicians

Area of Science:

• Clinical Nutrition
• Medical Education
• Physician Training

Background:

• Hospitalized patients frequently suffer from malnutrition, often overlooked by physicians.
• Low physician awareness and inadequate implementation of nutrition support contribute to this problem.
• The Latin American Federation of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (FELANPE) developed the Total Nutritional Therapy (TNT) course to address this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of the 2-day TNT immersion course on physicians' clinical practice.
• To assess the course's effectiveness in increasing awareness and implementation of nutritional therapy.
• To determine if the course influenced participation in nutrition associations or conferences.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 675 physicians 6 months post-completion of the TNT course.
• The survey assessed changes in the use of nutrition assessment, nutrition support teams, and nutrition consultations.
• Physicians also reported participation in nutrition-related associations and conferences.

Main Results:

• A majority of surveyed physicians reported increased utilization of nutrition assessment.
• Physicians dedicated more time to nutrition therapy and increased patient referrals for nutrition support.
• The course demonstrated a positive impact on the adoption of nutritional interventions.

Conclusions:

• The Total Nutritional Therapy (TNT) course serves as an effective model for clinical nutrition education for physicians.
• The TNT program successfully enhanced physicians' knowledge and application of nutritional therapy.
• Incorporating the TNT course into medical residency training is recommended to improve patient nutrition care.