PTH-132 UK medical student perceptions on diet and nutrition education: results of a national survey

Abstract

Introduction Dietary modification is a fundamental component of preventing and managing many gastrointestinal conditions and lifestyle-related diseases. Questions about diet are often the primary concern of patients and great attention is drawn to this field by scientists and non-scientists in popular and social media. This national survey explored UK medical students’ views on the responsibility of doctors, confidence in their current knowledge and ability to give advice, and the perceived quality of their medical school education regarding diet and nutrition in health and disease. Methods An online survey of Likert-type questions and free-text spaces was distributed to medical student unions and medical school societies of UK medical schools via email and social media platforms. Results 181 (91 pre-clinical, 90 clinical) students from 11 UK medical schools completed the survey. 96% felt doctors have a responsibility to provide the best available evidence-based dietary advice to patients. Overall, 63% reported being asked about diet and nutrition by patients ‘occasionally’ or ‘often’. 40% of students had confidence in their current knowledge and 32% did not. Confidence was generally low (21% confident, 55% not) regarding knowledge of UK dietary guidelines. Awareness of many popular dietary philosophies that patients might enquire about – such as the Mediterranean, intermittent fasting and low-carb-high-fat diets – was high but students did not feel confident in advising patients regarding these. Only 14% of students (16% of pre-clinical, 10% of clinical), felt they were receiving a comprehensive and relevant education in diet and nutrition from their medical school [Graph 1]. Over two-thirds (68%) would appreciate more teaching in this area and 25% had already sought further education themselves. Conclusions There is some feeling amongst medical students that UK medical schools are failing to provide an adequate education in clinical nutrition and dietetics. This is despite a desire for better education in this area and a widespread belief that doctors have a responsibility to impart high quality dietary advice to their patients. Medical student confidence in their own knowledge varied but was generally low regarding official UK guidelines and some of the more popular dietary philosophies that patients may enquire about. The main limitations of this study are its small sample size and risk of sampling bias. Medical school faculties might consider canvassing their students with a view to improving their teaching on diet and clinical nutrition.