Effectiveness Of Nutrition Care Research Articles

Evaluation of Malnutrition Knowledge among Nursing Staff in the Czech Republic: A Cross-Sectional Psychometric Study

Construct : The Knowledge of Malnutrition – Geriatric 2.0’ (KoM-G 2.0) instrument was designed to quantify nursing staff malnutrition knowledge in inpatient medical and rehabilitation care facilities, as well as home health care. It has been used to assess grasp of current clinical practice guidelines and proficiency in addressing issues related to malnutrition. It provides insight into familiarity with and capacity to tackle issues pertaining to malnutrition in clinical practice. Furthermore, it has been used assess the effectiveness of educational interventions aimed at improving nursing professionals knowledge and awareness of malnutrition. Background : The quality of nursing education affects malnutrition risk assessment, monitoring of food intake, and effectiveness of nutrition care. Improvements in malnutrition education require determining the current level of knowledge and benchmarking with other countries. In the Czech Republic, no nationwide assessment of nursing staff malnutrition knowledge has ever been conducted. Approach : The purpose of the study was to translate the KoM-G 2.0 instrument, gather initial validity evidence, and evaluate nursing staff knowledge of malnutrition in inpatient medical, rehabilitation care facilities, and home care in the Czech Republic. All inpatient healthcare facilities and home healthcare facilities in the Czech Republic were invited to participate. The Czech version of the internationally standardized KoM-G 2.0 (KoM-G 2.0 CZ) was used to assess nursing staff malnutrition knowledge between 3 February 2021 and 31 May 2021. A total of 728 nurses began the questionnaire, and 465 (63.9%) of respondents completed it and were included in the study. Data analyses examined instrument difficulty, discriminability, and reliability, as well as sources of variation in knowledge scores. Findings : The psychometric characteristics of the KoM-G 2.0 CZ instrument included the difficulty index Q (0.61), the discriminant index (ULI 0.29, RIT 0.38, upper-lower 30% 0.67), and Cronbach alpha (0.619). The overall mean of correct answers was 6.24 (SD 2.8). There was a significant impact of educational attainment and nutrition training on KoM-G 2.0 CZ scores. Conclusions : Our findings provide initial validity evidence that KoM-G 2.0 CZ is useful and appropriate for assessing malnutrition knowledge among Czech nursing staff. Our research identified gaps in knowledge and examples of good practice in understanding malnutrition that can be applied internationally. The knowledge of academic nurses was greater; therefore, we suggest they play a key role in nutritional care. We recommend continuous education to improve understanding of malnutrition in this setting.

Development and Validation of a Tool to Measure Dietitians' Self-Efficacy with Using Mobile Health Apps in Dietetic Practice

ObjectiveTo develop and validate a tool for assessing dietitians' self-efficacy with using mobile health (mHealth) apps in dietetic practice. Design and ParticipantsA tool for measuring mHealth app self-efficacy among dietitians was constructed based on a literature review, consultation with experts, and Bandura's self-efficacy scales development guide. Senior dietetic students and new graduate dietitians in Australia (n = 100) tested the tool. Outcome Measures and AnalysisValidation of the tool was conducted using factor analysis. Reliability testing was undertaken to examine internal consistency and repeatability. ResultsConstruct validity was demonstrated through extraction of 4 factors with significant loadings accounting for 68% of variance: efficiency and effectiveness of nutrition care, training and support, integration into dietetic work systems, and familiarity with apps. Internal consistency reliability overall was 0.90; 3 of 4 constructs had Cronbach α > .70. Weighted kappas for test-retest reliability indicated moderate to substantial agreement (0.43–0.76). Conclusions and ImplicationsThis tool will be useful to researchers and dietetic associations interested in measuring dietitians' levels of mHealth app self-efficacy, developing interventions to enhance self-efficacy, and/or evaluating changes in self-efficacy after professional training. Testing of the tool in a more diverse sample of dietitians and among other health professional groups could enhance the applicability of the tool.

Canadian Perspectives on the Nutrition Care Process and International Dietetics and Nutrition Terminology

The purpose of this paper is to outline benefits of adoption of the Nutrition Care Process (NCP) and International Dietetics and Nutrition Terminology (IDNT) by Canadian dietitians, discuss implementation considerations for broad-based action and change, and determine future directions. The NCP and IDNT are recommended by the International Confederation of Dietetic Associations for international adoption as a framework for dietetic practice. The NCP uses a client-centred framework to clarify the role of registered dietitians (RDs), nutrition practice elements and skills, and the environments in which RDs practice. It also incorporates an evaluation framework, including identification of specific goals and monitoring of clinical and behavioural outcomes, to improve the quality and effectiveness of nutrition care. The process helps RDs to identify interventions that are more likely to improve nutrition outcomes by providing a systematic approach that encourages critical thinking and problem-solving. IDNT provides a standard set of core nutrition care terms and definitions for the four steps of the nutrition care process: assessment, nutrition diagnosis, intervention, and monitoring/evaluation. Use of IDNT promotes uniform documentation of nutrition care, enables differentiation of the type and amount of nutrition care provided, and provides a basis for linking nutrition care activities with actual or predicted outcomes. To continue to advance the dietetic profession in the Canadian health system, RDs must demonstrate their value by highlighting population, group, and individual health outcomes that are most influenced by the RD. The NCP and IDNT will help dietitians achieve these goals.

Impact of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Nutrition Practice Guidelines Implemented by Registered Dietitians on Pregnancy Outcomes

Nutrition practice guidelines were developed for gestational diabetes mellitus by registered dietitians from the Diabetes Care and Education and the Women’s Health and Reproductive Nutrition dietetic practice groups. To validate the guidelines, a clinical trial was designed with clinic sites randomly assigned to either nutrition practice guidelines care (12 sites) or usual nutrition care (13 sites), with diabetes, obstetric, and other clinic types represented in both groups. Volunteer dietitians served as study coordinators and recruited women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus. The nutrition practice guidelines define medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for gestational diabetes and emphasize three areas—definition of MNT clinical goals with indexes to modify or advance MNT and criteria to start insulin; use of self-monitoring tools; and provision of three nutrition visits. Usual care sites provided prenatal nutrition care according to usual practice. The effect of nutrition care (sites following the nutrition care guidelines) and type of clinic site on changes in glycated hemoglobin and infant birth weight, adjusted for other covariates, were evaluated using linear regression. Differences in insulin use and other infant outcomes between treatment groups were evaluated using logistic regression. Generalized estimating equations were used to accommodate nonindependence within randomized clusters of patients within clinic sites. Data from 215 women indicated less insulin use at diabetes clinic sites in the nutrition practice guidelines groups and improved glycated hemoglobin control during the treatment period in diabetes clinics compared with obstetric or other clinics. A higher proportion of women in the usual care group had glycated hemoglobin levels that exceeded 6% at follow-up compared with women in the nutrition practice guidelines group (13.6% vs 8.1%), although not statistically significant ( P=0.26). A significant clinic type and treatment group effect was found for birth weight. Nutrition practice guidelines for gestational diabetes mellitus reflected nutrition care already being provided by registered dietitians in diabetes clinics prior to this study because outcomes at these clinics were not impacted. Use of the guidelines by dietitians at obstetric and other clinics tended to improve outcomes at these sites.