Dietetic Staffing and Workforce Capacity Planning in Primary Health Care

Area of Science:

• Public Health Nutrition
• Health Services Research
• Health Economics

Background:

• Registered Dietitians (RDs) integrated into primary health care (PHC) demonstrate significant health and economic benefits, including substantial cost savings from nutrition interventions.
• Despite evidence of effectiveness, access to RDs within Canadian PHC settings is notably limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing literature on dietetic staffing ratios in PHC in Canada and comparable international systems.
• To provide examples for utilizing staffing ratios to assess current dietitian services, identify service gaps, and advocate for increased positions.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of published dietetic staffing ratios in primary health care.
• Analysis of existing ratios in relation to population needs and service accessibility.

Main Results:

• Commonly cited ratios include 1 RD per 15,000-18,500 patients, 1 RD per 4-14 family physicians, or 1 RD per 300-500 patients with diabetes.
• Existing ratios appear insufficient, with reported issues of limited access, under-serviced populations, and dietitian shortages in PHC.

Conclusions:

• Current dietetic staffing ratios in PHC may not adequately meet population health needs.
• Development of new projection models, incorporating specific population requirements and workforce data, is crucial for accurate staffing estimations and addressing practice issues.