Nutrition and the health care agenda: a primary care perspective

Abstract

The current climate of prioritizing in the NHS brings into focus the debate surrounding efficient and effective management of conditions associated with the modern lifestyle. In any such debate, nutrition should be considered a primary issue as there is now international consensus regarding the optimum diet for the prevention of both coronary heart disease and cancer. Over recent years, government has stated that primary care is in an ideal setting to provide nutrition education to the public. However, we present the case that there currently is a mismatch between the attitude of the public, who appear willing to accept dietary advice from primary care professionals, and the reluctance on behalf of these professionals to fulfil this role. Dissatisfaction with the quality of nutrition education received by those working in primary care is often cited as a barrier to providing dietary advice to patients. With that in mind, we go on to discuss educational strategies that may motivate primary care staff to increase their involvement in providing dietary advice for their patients. The challenge to those involved in the delivery of nutrition training to primary care professionals is to convince them that dietary intervention is worthwhile and that they can make a positive contribution to dietary change within the current organization of primary care. Increasing motivation is an essential outcome of such training, along with providing the skills and knowledge to fulfil this role. The contribution which diet could make is significant and, in this time of questioning priorities, the role of nutrition needs to be put firmly on the health care agenda.

Nutrition Training Improves Health Workers’ Nutrition Knowledge and Competence to Manage Child Undernutrition: A Systematic Review

“…Nutrition training would thus seem to be effective in improving health workers’ nutrition knowledge. Nutritionally informed health workers may be more confident to address nutrition-related conditions in their patients (51). Such health workers may be better equipped to provide appropriate advice and counseling to their clients.…”

Factors associated with consulting a dietitian for diabetes management: a cross-sectional study

“…A multidisciplinary healthcare team is an essential element for the success of these approaches. While progress has been noted in developed and some developing countries in the effective utilization of the services of physicians and to a lesser extent nurses, the role of other health providers, especially dietitians, has not been properly integrated into the policies of health care systems [31,32]. This issue is even more pertinent to the Middle East region since most of its countries are suffering from an epidemic of diet-related diseases, including T2D [33-35].…”

Healthy eating: information and advice in primary care

“…In the longer term, it is perhaps appropriate to think of the way that food and nutrition are taught in basic nurse training, but for best effect on the patient–nurse conversations that take place in general practice surgeries and health centres every day, then the content and scope of in‐service courses needs consideration (cf. Cadman & Wiles 1996; Cadman & Findlay 1998; Moore et al . 2000).…”