Biomaterial Database

Assessing practice nurses' change in nutrition knowledge following training from a primary care dietitian. 1998

L Cadman, and A Findlay

Nutrition and Dietetic Services, Dorset Health Care, NHS Trust, Bournemouth.

The expanding role of the Primary Health Care Team (PHCT) has led to more opportunities to offer dietary advice to patients. However, members of the PHCT appear to lack nutritional knowledge and confidence when giving dietary advice. This work assesses the changes in Practice Nurses' (PNs) nutrition knowledge and confidence when giving dietary advice to patients, following training from a dietitian. Base line nutrition knowledge of PNs and their confidence when giving dietary advice was assessed in 30 GP Practices by questionnaire. Following Practice-based training from a dietitian, change in knowledge and confidence was assessed using the same questionnaire. Paired and unpaired analysis was carried out on the PN's knowledge and confidence scores respectively. Nutrition knowledge increased significantly after training. The mean difference (95% confidence interval) pre- and post-training was 11.6 (7.8, 15.4). After training 88% of PNs reported having good or excellent confidence compared with 27% before training (chi-squared test p < 0.001). Nutrition training from a dietitian improves nutrition knowledge of PNs. It also improves their confidence and is recommended to support their role in providing accurate and consistent dietary advice to patients.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009722	Nurse Practitioners	Nurses who are specially trained to assume an expanded role in providing medical care under the supervision of a physician.	Nurse Practitioner,Practitioner, Nurse,Practitioners, Nurse
D010353	Patient Education as Topic	The teaching or training of patients concerning their own health needs.	Education of Patients,Education, Patient,Patient Education
D011320	Primary Health Care	Care which provides integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. (JAMA 1995;273(3):192)	Primary Care,Primary Healthcare,Care, Primary,Care, Primary Health,Health Care, Primary,Healthcare, Primary
D011795	Surveys and Questionnaires	Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions.	Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D002983	Clinical Competence	The capability to perform acceptably those duties directly related to patient care.	Clinical Skills,Competence, Clinical,Clinical Competency,Clinical Skill,Competency, Clinical,Skill, Clinical,Skills, Clinical,Clinical Competencies,Competencies, Clinical
D004046	Dietetics	The application of nutritional principles to regulation of the diet and feeding persons or groups of persons.
D004509	Education, Nursing, Continuing	Educational programs designed to inform nurses of recent advances in their fields.	Education, Nursing, Post-Basic,Education, Nursing, Post-Registration,Nursing Education, Continuing,Nursing Education, Post-Basic,Nursing Education, Post-Registration,Post-Basic Nursing Education,Post-Registration Nursing Education,Continuing Nursing Education,Education, Continuing Nursing,Education, Post-Basic Nursing,Education, Post-Registration Nursing,Nursing Education, Post Basic,Nursing Education, Post Registration,Post Basic Nursing Education,Post Registration Nursing Education
D005194	Family Practice	A medical specialty concerned with the provision of continuing, comprehensive primary health care for the entire family.	Family Practices,Practice, Family,Practices, Family
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D016009	Chi-Square Distribution	A distribution in which a variable is distributed like the sum of the squares of any given independent random variable, each of which has a normal distribution with mean of zero and variance of one. The chi-square test is a statistical test based on comparison of a test statistic to a chi-square distribution. The oldest of these tests are used to detect whether two or more population distributions differ from one another.	Chi-Square Test,Chi Square Distribution,Chi Square Test,Chi-Square Distributions,Chi-Square Tests,Distribution, Chi-Square,Distributions, Chi-Square,Test, Chi-Square,Tests, Chi-Square