Dietetic Interns Can Serve as a Valuable Resource for Diffusing the Nutrition Care Process Into Clinical Practice

Abstract

The Nutrition Care Process (NCP), introduced in 2003 by the American Dietetic Association (ADA), is a uniform method for registered dietitians to document and think critically about nutrition care. The ADA's goal for full implementation of this methodology is within 10 years. There has been little research on how NCP is being implemented in clinical practice or how dietetic interns trained in the NCP may be helping to diffuse NCP into practice. This pilot study looked at where and how NCP is being implemented across the country in facilities that train interns in a distance program. Forty interns in 16 states were surveyed to measure dissemination of the NCP concept into actual practice. Thirty-six interns completed an online survey regarding the use of NCP in their clinical rotations; most sites were in hospital settings. Respondents were also asked about the ways in which they shared information about NCP with their preceptors and staff dietitians. The findings indicated that about half of the dietitians training the interns were using NCP in their clinical care. With training and knowledge of NCP, dietetic interns can act as effective learning partners with their preceptors to integrate NCP into practice and help ADA achieve its goal of full implementation by 2013.