The provision of nutritional advice and care for cancer patients: a UK national survey of healthcare professionals

Abstract

Purpose People living with and beyond cancer often experience nutrition-related issues and should receive appropriate advice on nutrition that is consistent and evidence based. The aim of this study was to investigate current practice for the provision of nutritional care by healthcare professionals (HCPs) from a UK national survey produced by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Cancer and Nutrition Collaboration. Methods An online survey sent to professional groups and networks included questions on discussing nutrition, providing information, awareness of guidelines, confidence in providing nutritional advice, training and strategies for improving nutritional management. Results There were 610 HCPs who responded including nurses (31%), dietitians (25%), doctors (31%) and speech and language therapists (9%). The majority of HCPs discusses nutrition (94%) and provides information on nutrition (77%). However, only 39% of HCPs reported being aware of nutritional guidelines, and just 20% were completely confident in providing nutritional advice. Awareness of guidelines varied between the different professional groups with most but not all dietitians reporting the greatest awareness of guidelines and GPs the least (p = 0.001). Those HCPs with a greater awareness of guidelines had received training (p = 0.001) and were more likely to report complete confidence in providing nutritional advice (p = 0.001). Conclusion Whilst HCPs discuss nutrition with cancer patients and may provide information, many lack an awareness of guidelines and confidence in providing nutritional advice. To ensure consistency of practice and improvements in patient care, there is scope for enhancing the provision of appropriate nutrition education and training.

Needs, preferences, and experiences of adult cancer survivors in accessing dietary information post‐treatment: A scoping review

“…Specific content needs nominated by cancer survivors suggest an awareness of comorbidity risks, such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis (Berry et al, 2014;Leach et al, 2015 (Anderson et al, 2013;Baker et al, 2015;Murphy et al, 2020;van Veen et al, 2017;Williams et al, 2015).…”

“…This is in contrast to the preference identified in this review for specific, individualised recommendations. An exploration of clinicians’ perspectives was beyond the scope of this review; however, in previous studies, cancer care clinicians have reported limited knowledge regarding dietary recommendations and inadequate training to provide health behaviour counselling (Anderson et al, 2013; Baker et al, 2015; Murphy et al, 2020; van Veen et al, 2017; Williams et al, 2015).…”

The Clinical Value of Nutritional Care before and during Active Cancer Treatment

“…Firstly, healthcare professionals involved in detecting patients at risk for malnutrition should share baseline nutritional screening tools to improve their confidence in advising cancer patients [86]. A recent survey showed that though oncologists, nurses and nutritionists discuss specific alimentary troubles with cancer patients and may provide information, many of them lack an awareness of guidelines and confidence in providing nutritional advice [87]. Secondly, adapted tools or apps may facilitate the engagement of patients within the nutritional track [88]; In Italy, we developed in collaboration with AIOM, SINPE and FAVO (Federazione Italiana delle Associazioni di Volontariato in Oncologia) the app Nutrient to easily screen patients at higher risk for malnutrition which may benefit from an early referral to experienced nutritionists [89].…”

Factors affecting the assessment of cancer cachexia by nurses caring for patients with advanced cancer undergoing chemotherapy: A cross-sectional survey

“… 8 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 42 , 43 In particular, it had been found that oncology nurses were less aware of the guidelines and received less relevant nutritional training than physicians and dietitians. 21 , 44 The “Putting Evidence into Practice” resource widely used in oncology nursing does not include cachexia, but instead describes it as anorexia, and there are fewer evidence-based interventions than other symptom management techniques. 45 There are few nurse-led studies for cancer cachexia, and nurses rarely learn about cancer cachexia in pre-graduate education.…”