Registered Dietitian's Role in Multi-Disciplinary Team

Abstract

LEARNING OUTCOME: To assess the role of the Registered Dietitian among other members in a multi-disciplinary team. Due to the evolving role of the registered dietitian (RD), a questionnaire was administered to multi-disciplinary team members in a hospital based clinical setting to assess current attitude toward the RD. The tool contained 6 closed and open-ended questions pertaining to knowledge of availability of the RD, how to contact the RD, whether or not their patients were followed by the RD, and suggestions on how the RD could be more effective. Questionnaires were completed on a voluntary basis over a period of 6 days including a Saturday and Sunday. Respondents included 87 nursing personnel (registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, patient care assistants), 15 physical medicine personnel (physical therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists), and 13 social workers. Results indicated that 97% agreed that the role of the RD is important to the discipline team by monitoring patient food intake, promoting wound healing, and providing education, 88% knew how to contact/consult the RD regarding nutrition problems (decreased appetite, inadequate intake, food preferences, nutritional support), and 90% responded that the RDs were readily available. Thirty-four percent provided additional comments which suggested that the RD could be more effective by collecting food preferences on all patients, providing team members with important nutritional information, and cross training in other discipline areas (accuchecks and vital signs). This survey provides supporting evidence that the RD continues to be an integral part of the multi-disciplinary team as perceived by other team members as well as demonstrating the need of versatility in the role of the RD.