Getting nutrition education into medical schools: a computer-based approach

Abstract

Despite awareness of the importance of nutrition as part of medical student's education, numerous barriers exist to incorporating nutrition education into the medical school curriculum. Chief among such barriers is that most medical schools do not have faculty trained specifically in nutrition. A curriculum is needed that can deliver comprehensive nutrition information that is consistent across medical schools. One way to deliver this information is to use computer-assisted instruction (CAI). To meet the different needs of medical schools and provide a consistent base of nutrition information, we developed a series of interactive, multimedia educational programs (Nutrition in Medicine) that teach the basic principles of nutritional science and apply those principles in a case-oriented approach. Curriculum content is derived from the American Society for Clinical Nutrition consensus guidelines. These modules offer the advantages of accessibility, self-paced study, interactivity, immediate feedback, and tracking of student performance. Modules are distributed free to all US medical schools. Preliminary data from surveys gathered by our team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill indicate that 73 US medical schools use, or are planning to use, these modules; more schools are currently evaluating the programs. Successful implementation of CAI requires easy program access, faculty training, adequate technical support, and faculty commitment to the programs as a valuable resource. CAI fails when the program is just placed in the library and students are told to use it when they can find the time.

Student Perceptions of Nutrition Education at Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine: A Resource Challenged Institution

“…Since physicians can be instrumental in changing diet behaviors [11,19], nutritional information is an important component of medical student training [20,21]. The resources of JCESOM, as of many medical schools, are, however, limited.…”

“…The use of independent learning pedagogy is based on three core elements: presenting the information in small bites, making learning self-paced by the learner, and providing immediate feedback to the learner using the built in selfassessment. The independent learning method of teaching, reinforced with immediate question/answer feedback, helps build a knowledge base and critical thinking skills [21].…”

“…To address the need for nutrition education, the NIH funded Nutrition in Medicine (NIM) Project was developed to provide access to up-to-date nutrition education for medical students [15]. The materials were initially developed as CD ROMs that were distributed free to medical schools.…”

“…The materials were initially developed as CD ROMs that were distributed free to medical schools. It was found that faculty commitment and training were needed for these modules to be successfully used as a resource [15]. In a further evolution, the modules were adapted to a free website, accessible to all registered medical students [16].…”

Is Legitimacy Contagious? The Collective Legitimation of Alternative Therapies in the U.S. Hospital Industry

“…As conventional medicine developed effective treatments for many of the infections and severe injuries based on biomedical and technological advances, prevention and wellness promotion through diet, foods, and life styles have been underemphasized (e.g., Cooksey et al 2000;Adams et al 2006). In contrast, alternative practitioners have come to be identified with self-care, relaxation, exercise, diet, and nutrition, possibly reflecting the lack of effective treatments for the types of disease and illness treated by conventional health care.…”