Effectiveness of the dietitian-technician team on a burn unit

A study was conducted to determine whether the clinical registered dietitian (R.D.) on the burn and trauma unit of an 863-bed medical center was able to perform more efficiently when a part-time dietetic technician (D.T.) was employed and whether the R.D.-D.T. team had an influence on the nutritional status of burn patients. The authors audited a random sample of medical records of burn patients from the year prior to employment of the D.T. (year 1, N = 44) and the year following her employment (year 2, N = 41) to determine the quantity and frequency of nutrition information charted. Results indicated that the percentage of records charted by the R.D. in year 2 increased significantly over the percentage in year 1, as did recommendations for nutrition support. Mean percentage of nutrition recommendations that the R.D. documented for total patient days also increased significantly. Data were insufficient to determine the influence of the R.D.-D.T. team on the nutritional status of patients. With part-time technician assistance, the dietitian had more time to screen and monitor patient records; to plan, implement, and evaluate nutrition care; and to make recommendations for aggressive nutrition support.