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Time for food - training physiatrists in nutritional prescription
Rani Polak1, Marie Dacey, Edward M Phillips
1Department of Physical Medicine Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 02129 Boston, USA. rpolak@partners.org.
Introduction:
Sub-optimal nutrition is a leading factor in all-cause mortality, the preponderance of non-communicable chronic diseases, and various health conditions that are treated by physiatrists, such as stroke and musculoske-letal disorders. Furthermore, patients with chronic pain have a high prevalence of nutritional deficiencies, and malnutrition has been associated with limited rehabilitation outcomes in elderly patients with hospital-associated deconditioning. Thus, physiatrists may find it valuable to include nutrition in their patient services. However, discussion of nutritional counselling in the physiatry literature is rare.
Objective:
To inform physiatrists about including nutritional counselling as part of the treatment they provide.
Methods:
The paper reviews recommended communication skills, behavioural change strategies, and opportunities for inter-professional collaboration. Further resources to educate physiatrists both in nutritional prescription and in improving their own personal health behaviours are provided.
Conclusion:
Training physiatrists to address nutrition is a step-wise process, described here.
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