A model for making outcomes research standard practice in clinical dietetics

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Health Services Research
• Dietetics Practice

Background:

• Clinical dietitians play a crucial role in healthcare, necessitating evidence-based practice through outcomes research.
• Current nutrition research is often conducted by non-clinicians, potentially overlooking practical clinical scenarios.
• There's a need for dietitians to actively engage in research to validate and improve clinical nutrition practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the extent of clinical dietitians' involvement in conducting and reporting outcomes research.
• To understand dietitians' attitudes towards research and identify barriers to their participation.
• To explore strategies and develop models for integrating research skills into dietetics practice.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of research publication trends in clinical nutrition.
• Surveys assessing dietitians' research involvement, attitudes, and perceived skill gaps.
• Development of a model for integrating research into clinical practice and fostering collaboration.

Main Results:

• Clinical dietitians contribute a small percentage to published research articles.
• Outcomes research is infrequently featured in clinical nutrition journals.
• Dietitians express comfort in participating in research but lack confidence in designing, conducting, and reporting it.

Conclusions:

• Integrating research into clinical dietetics requires enhanced training and support for dietitians.
• Collaborative models between clinical and academic dietitians are essential for advancing research capacity.
• Academic dietetics programs must prioritize equipping future practitioners with necessary research competencies.