Establishing consensus on nutrition competencies for medicine: a Delphi study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Nutrition Science
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• Nutrition education for healthcare professionals is recognized as a priority but remains inadequate.
• Lack of consensus on nutrition competencies hinders uniform adoption and standards in medical training.
• Doctors are crucial for nutrition care but require better training to meet patient needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish consensus on essential nutrition competencies for medical practice.
• To inform the development of a standardized framework for nutrition education in medicine.
• To define benchmarks for nutrition knowledge and skills required by physicians.

Main Methods:

• A modified online Delphi survey was conducted over three rounds.
• Expert participants included healthcare practitioners, educators, policymakers, and service users.
• Consensus was achieved on a set of core nutrition competencies for medical professionals.

Main Results:

• Twenty-five nutrition competencies for medical practice were defined by expert consensus.
• Service users identified seven additional important skills and attributes for nutrition care.
• Key competency themes included team-based care, communication, professionalism, and health promotion.

Conclusions:

• Physicians require skills to interpret nutrition assessments and coordinate care within multidisciplinary teams.
• Defined nutrition competencies can guide curriculum development and improve the quality of nutrition care.
• Establishing clear standards is essential for advancing nutrition education in medicine.