Abstract
An electronic survey of Dietitians New Zealand members was undertaken. A link to the survey was disseminated through their weekly electronic newsletter. Survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and responses from pediatric and adult dietitians were compared using Fisher's exact test and Chi-squared test. Open ended questions were summarized using thematic analysis. The responses of New Zealand dietitians were compared to dietitian practice internationally and current inflammatory bowel disease standards of care.
Highlights
Crohn disease (CD) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterized by recurring and remitting inflammation which leads to chronic symptoms such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain and rectal bleeding [1]
Dietitians had a range of clinical experience; 16% had less than two years of experience, 48% had between two and ten years of experience and 36% had more than ten of experience
Forty-eight of the dietitians predominately cared for adult patients with CD and 10 dietitians predominately cared for pediatric patients aged less than 16 - 17 years old
Summary
Crohn disease (CD) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterized by recurring and remitting inflammation which leads to chronic symptoms such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain and rectal bleeding [1]. CD, unlike ulcerative colitis (UC), can affect the lining of the gastrointestinal tract anywhere from the mouth to the anus but most commonly disease is isolated to the terminal ileum, the colon, or the ileum and the colon [1]. CD presents as transmural inflammation, which means that it may affect the whole depth of the intestinal lining, not just the mucosa, as seen in UC. There is currently no known cure for CD and current treatments are focused on minimizing inflammation and extending periods of disease remission. The incidence and prevalence of IBD is increasing world-wide [3] and NZ is unlikely to be immune from this trend. Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) is used in many paediatric centers to induce disease remission and avoid the side effects of antiinflammatory medications [4]. There is no international agreement about the use of EEN in the treatment of adults [5]
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