Nutrition Center of Excellence (COE) in Inflammatory Bowel Disease-A Model and Rationale for Development

The goal of this study was to develop a multi-disciplinary consensus of nutrition care priorities for implementation in an IBD nutrition center of excellence (COE).

The role for nutrition care in inflammatory bowel disease is broad and encompasses multiple domains. Gaps exist in the published literature around best nutrition care practices in inflammatory bowel disease and highlight the need for an evidence based approach acceptable to patients, and generalizable to a wide inflammatory bowel disease population.

Twelve health leaders in inflammatory bowel disease care attended a 1-day retreat. Two focus groups were completed using traditional focus group methodology for the first half of the retreat and a World Café method for the second half. Data analysis included review of analytic memos and conceptual analysis completed at the time of discussion, theme identification and team consensus for conceptual development.

Three primary themes were identified as the main pillars of a COE in an IBD nutrition center of excellence. These include: a) excellence in clinical care, b) novel discovery and research, and c) knowledge translation to patients and practitioners. The key initial steps identified in this study included standardizing malnutrition screening and support while creating an environment where nutrition therapy is included as a standard of care, developing and examining the effectiveness of novel diet therapies, and translating knowledge to build capacity among care providers and patients.

Using a 1-day retreat to identify a future direction for a center focused on nutrition excellence and align our coalition towards common goals was a successful strategy to develop consensus and identify nutrition care priorities for action.