The role of a dietitian in the health sector

Introduction

Chicago Tribune (2013), dietitians are experts in food and nutrition (“dietetics”). They advise people on what to eat in order to lead a healthy lifestyle or achieve a specific health-related goal. They work in a variety of settings from clinical to community and public policy to media communications.

Registered Dietitians (RD or RDN) are dietitians who meet academic and professional requirements, including earning at least a bachelor’s degree, and fulfilling a specially-designed, accredited nutrition curriculum, passing a registration exam, and completing a supervised program of practice at a health care facility, foodservice organization or community agency. Roughly half of all RDs hold graduate degrees and many have certifications in specialized fields such as sports, paediatrics, renal, ontological, food allergy, or gerontological nutrition. After learning about patients’ health history, favourite foods, eating and exercise habits, an RD will help individuals set goals and prioritize. Follow-up visits often focus on maintenance and monitoring progress.

World Health Organisation (WHO, 2010), classified dietitians as professionals who supervise the preparation and service of food, develop modified diets, participate in research, and educate individuals and groups on good nutritional habits.

The goals of dietitians are to provide medical nutritional intervention, and to obtain, safely prepare, serve and advise on flavour some, attractive, and nutritious food for patients, groups and communities. Dietary modification to address medical issues involving dietary intake is a major part of dietetics (the study of nutrition as it relates to health). For example, working in consultation with physicians and other health care providers, a dietitian may provide specific artificial nutritional needs to patients unable to consume food normally. Professional dietitians may also provide specialist services such as in diabetes, obesity, oncology, osteoporosis, paediatrics, renal disease, and micronutrient research. (Misner, 2006)

Who is a dietitian?

A dietitian as a person with legally recognized qualifications in nutrition and dietetics who applies the science of nutrition to the feeding and education of groups and individuals in health and diseases (Odudu, 2013)

Chicago Tribune (2013) defined dietitians as those who apply the art and science of human nutrition to help people understand the relationship between food and health and make dietary choice to attain and maintain health, prevent and treat illness.

MerriamWebster.com defines a dietitian as a person whose job is to give advice about what to eat in order to be healthy. Dietitians are experts in food and nutrition (dietetics). They advise people on what to eat in order to achieve a specific health related goal.

Types of dietitians

1. Administrative dietitian
2. Educational dietitian
3. Clinical dietitian
4. Consultant dietitian

Administrative dietitian

Oversee and direct all aspects of food policy and large-scale meal service operations in hospitals, government agencies, company cafeterias, prisons, schools and also hire and train dietitians and food service workers.

Functions of administrative dietitians

1. They set department goals, policies and procedures;
2. Purchase food, equipment and supplies;
3. maintain safety and sanitation standards in food preparation and storage;
4. Keep records to monitor areas such as budget control and client information.
5. They recruit, train and supervise employees of dietetics department.

Consultant dietitians

This is a term sometimes used to describe dietitians who work under contract with health care facilities or in private practice and must be a registered dietitian (R.D.)

Functions of consultant dietitians

1. To see patients on diet modification
2. To give advice on nutritional label
3. They provide nutrition services and educational programmes to individuals and healthcare facilities as well as sports team and fitness clubs.
4. They give advice on diet plan that provides adequate nutrition while cutting calories.

Clinical dietitian

They work in hospitals, nursing care facilities to provide nutrition therapy to patients with a variety of health conditions and provide dietary consultations to confer with other healthcare professionals to review patients’ medical charts and develop individual plans to meet nutritional requirements and reduce risk for chronic diseases.

Functions of clinical dietitians

1. They collect history data of patients.
2. The plan modifications of therapeutic diet.
3. They check anthropometric measurement of individuals or groups or persons
4. They supervise preparation of various foods in dietetic kitchen
5. They ensure prevention of disease or illness from occurring and also to manage the illness when it occurs.
6. They work as a team with other health care practitioners to provide care to patients.

Educational dietitians

These are dietitians that mainly work in schools (colleges or universities) and mass media.

Functions of educational dietitians

1. They are mainly involved in research work.
2. They also evaluate and design diets
3. They participate in professional activities to enhance knowledge and skills.
4. They provide training to nurses and other related departments.
5. They pass nutritional information through mass media.

 Reasons to see a dietitian

• Overweight/obesity
• Pre-diabetes
• Diabetes mellitus
• High cholesterol
• Blood pressure control
• Cancer
• Women’s health (osteoporosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome).
• Pregnancy (proper nutritional management of gestational diabetes)
• HIV/AIDS
• Tuberculosis
• Gastrointestinal disorder.
• Malnutrition
• Eating disorders
• Kidney failure, etc.

Dietitian role in the health sector

• Educating and advising clients on how to and healthy eating habits can prevent illness, help to achieve and maintain optimum health.
• Educating and advising a wide range of patients on how therapeutic diets and diet therapy can improve the management of their conditions.
• Calculating individual nutritional requirements using standard equations based on assessment of blood ehemistry, temperature, stress, mobility and other relevant factors.
• Devising eating plans and manipulating recipes.
• Running clinics in hospital outpatient departments or general practitioners’ (GP) surgeries for patients who have been referred by hospital consultants, GPs or health visitors
• Writing reports and case notes and maintaining accurate records.
• Preparing information packs, flyer and other promotional materials.

Conclusion

The dietitians are of great relevance to a human life and of course in the health sector. They do more than just modify diets; they help correct bad eating habits, manage people’s ill health conditions and prevent illness from occurring and also see to patients’ physical fitness.

References

Alberta Occupational Profiles. Alberta Employment and Immigration – Dietitian Assessed April 1, 2011.

Chicago Tribune (2013). Diet/clans do more than tell you what to eat. Retrieved Mar. 8, 2014. Website: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/201 3-01-1 8/classified/chi- role-call-dietitians-do-more-than-tell-you-what-to-eat-201301181 dietitians-offer-term-nutritionist-nutrition-information

HwalIa, N. & Koleilat, M (2004). ‘Dietetic Practice: The Past, Present and Future.’ Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 2004, 10(6):716-730.

Misner B. (2006). “Food Alone May Not Provide Sufficient Micronutrients for Preventing Deficiency.” Int Soc Sports Nutr 3(1): 51—55.

Odudu R. V. (2013). A Dietetic Lecture Note (Unpublished)

U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics (2010). Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition. Dietitians and Nutritionist Accessed 11 March, 2011.

Van Rensburg D. (2008). Human Resource Development and Antiretroviral Treatment in Free State Province, South Africa: Human Resource for Health, 2008,6:15.

WHO (2010). Classifying Health Workers. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2010.