Nutrition concepts essential in the education of the medical student

Abstract

A study was conducted to identify nutrition concepts that physicians and medical nutrition educators agree are essential to the education of the medical student and to identify where in the medical school curriculum nutrition concepts should be taught. Opinionnaires were mailed to a stratified random sample of 800 physicians representing selected medical specialties and a sample of 165 medical nutrition educators in the United States, χ2 measurements were used to test significance of differences in responses among physician educators, physician noneducators and medical nutrition educators and among physicians in varying medical specialties. Respondents assessed 23 nutrition concepts to be essential for mastery by the medical student. Years 1 and 2 of the medical school curriculum were deemed appropriate for teaching biochemically- and physiologically-oriented nutrition concepts. Year 2 was also assessed as appropriate for teaching nutrition in relation to disease entities. The clinical training portion of the medical curriculum was assessed to be appropriate for teaching patient management-oriented nutrition concepts. Respondents indicated that all nutrition concepts should be applicable to patient care. Respondents were of the opinion that medical students do not receive nutrition education in medical school curricula adequate for medical practice. The results of this study should be used to promote the integration of nutrition into medical curricula because what nutrition concepts should be taught and where in the curriculum these concepts should be taught have been delineated.