Interprofessional dietary assessment practices in primary care: A mixed-methods study.

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Research
• Nutrition Science
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Diet assessment is crucial for personalized nutrition care in primary care.
• Current diet assessment (DA) practices in team-based primary care are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore current diet assessment practices in team-based primary care in Ontario, Canada.
• To identify facilitators and barriers to accurate diet assessment.
• To inform the development of improved diet assessment approaches.

Main Methods:

• Sequential mixed-methods study involving interdisciplinary focus groups (FGs) and a web-based survey.
• Eleven FGs (n=50) explored DA practices, patient groups, and challenges.
• A web-based survey completed by 191 providers from 73 Family Health Teams.

Main Results:

• Diet assessment is a common, daily activity in primary care, with methods varying by health profession.
• Dietitians utilize more formal and detailed DA methods compared to other disciplines.
• Communication of DA results and collaborative nutrition care were identified as key themes.

Conclusions:

• Baseline data reveal diverse DA practices in team-based primary care.
• Findings can guide the development of more accurate and effective nutrition care strategies.
• Standardized approaches may enhance patient counselling and health outcomes.