Nutrition education in medical schools: From the ESPEN NEMS position paper to a practical teaching tool

Nutrition education represents a cornerstone in the training of healthcare professionals, particularly physicians, as it contributes to the optimization of therapeutic strategies for nutritional disorders. In 2017, the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) launched the Nutrition Education in Medical Schools (NEMS) Project with the aim of implementing nutrition education in all medical schools. In 2019, the NEMS working group published its first position paper, underscoring the need for mandatory nutrition education for all medical students and outlining the essential content that should form the core of undergraduate medical training in human nutrition. The document identified three key domains (basic, applied/or public health and clinical nutrition) and recommended their integration through flexible curricular models, competency-based teaching, and innovative learning tools.

A NEMS task force was established, composed of 20 members including medical doctors, dietitians, and ESPEN representatives, with the objective of preparing the "NEMS-slide kit", a teaching tool designed to enhance and facilitate its integration into the standard medical school curriculum. The group defined learning objectives and standard operating procedures, assigning topics to members to prepare English slide sets with simple language, visuals, and commentary for professors. A unified template was designed, and after iterative revisions the final slide kit was completed in May 2023.

In January 2024, the "NEMS-slide kit" was developed, comprising 196 slides that encompass the three major domains of nutrition: basic, applied, and clinical nutrition.

The pragmatic approach of the NEMS project and the development of standardized teaching materials could support the widespread integration of nutrition into medical curricula across Europe.