Nutrition Care Process Implementation: Experiences in Various Dietetics Environments in Sweden

Area of Science:

• Nutrition and Dietetics
• Healthcare Management
• Implementation Science

Background:

• The Nutrition Care Process (NCP) and Nutrition Care Process Terminology (NCPT) are globally adopted by nutrition and dietetics practitioners.
• Implementation offers benefits like consistent record-keeping and outcome research.
• Dietitians' experiences during NCP/NCPT implementation remain underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To qualitatively explore Swedish dietitians' experiences with the NCP implementation process.
• To understand implementation variations across diverse dietetics settings.

Main Methods:

• Conducted seven focus group discussions with 37 Swedish dietitians from 13 workplaces.
• Utilized thematic secondary analysis of transcribed discussions.
• Applied the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) model as a framework.

Main Results:

• Key themes included leadership, team dynamics, electronic health records, and evaluation.
• Three distinct cases illustrated varied implementation success: inclusive leadership (Case A), ambivalent reception (Case B), and lack of support (Case C).
• Workplace environment and leadership significantly influenced NCP/NCPT adoption.

Conclusions:

• NCP/NCPT implementation strategies must account for the diversity of dietetics settings.
• Tailored approaches are needed, especially providing support where management is lacking.
• Context-specific facilitation is crucial for successful implementation.