Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr 19;25(1):121.
doi: 10.1186/s12875-024-02379-4.

Role of family medicine physicians in providing nutrition support to older patients admitted to orthopedics departments: a grounded theory approach

Ryuichi Ohta  1 , Tachiko Nitta  2 , Akiko Shimizu  2 , Chiaki Sano  3
Affiliations

Role of family medicine physicians in providing nutrition support to older patients admitted to orthopedics departments: a grounded theory approach

Ryuichi Ohta et al. BMC Prim Care. .

Abstract

Background: Care of older adults requires comprehensive management and control of systemic diseases, which can be effectively managed by family physicians. Complicated medical conditions in older patients admitted to orthopedic departments (orthopedic patients) necessitate interprofessional collaboration. Nutrition is one of the essential components of management involved in improving the systemic condition of older patients. Nutrition support teams play an important role in nutrition management and can be supported by family physicians. However, the role of family physicians in nutrition support teams is not well documented. This study aimed to investigate the role of family physicians in supporting nutrition management in orthopedic patients.

Methods: This qualitative study was conducted between January and June 2023 using constructivist grounded theory methodology. Eight family medicine physicians, three orthopedic surgeons, two nurses, two pharmacists, four rehabilitation therapists, four nutritionists, and one laboratory technician working in Japanese rural hospitals participated in the research. Data collection was performed through ethnography and semi-structured interviews. The analysis was performed iteratively during the study.

Results: Using a grounded theory approach, four theories were developed regarding family physicians' role in providing nutrition support to orthopedic patients: hierarchical and relational limitation, delay of onset and detection of the need for geriatric care in orthopedic patients, providing effective family medicine in hospitals, and comprehensive management through the nutrition support team.

Conclusions: The inclusion of family physicians in nutrition support teams can help with early detection of the rapid deterioration of orthopedic patients' conditions, and comprehensive management can be provided by nutrition support teams. In rural primary care settings, family physicians play a vital role in providing geriatric care in community hospitals in collaboration with specialists. Family medicine in hospitals should be investigated in other settings for better geriatric care and to drive mutual learning among healthcare professionals.

Keywords: Community; Family medicine; Hospital; Interprofessional collaboration; Japan; Nutrition support team; Orthopedic conditions; Rural.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Conceptual diagram of family physicians’ role in providing nutrition support to older orthopedic patients
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Bowman MA, Seehusen DA, Neale AV. Interventions must be realistic to be useful and completed in family medicine. J Am Board Fam Med. 2018;31:1–4. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2018.01.170422. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bazemore A, Petterson S, Peterson LE, Phillips RL., Jr More comprehensive care among family physicians is associated with lower costs and fewer hospitalizations. Ann Fam Med. 2015;13:206–13. doi: 10.1370/afm.1787. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jimbo M. Family medicine: its core principles and impact on patient care and medical education in the United States. Keio J Med. 2004;53:69–73. doi: 10.2302/kjm.53.69. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cubaka VK, Dyck C, Dawe R, Alghalyini B, Whalen-Browne M, Cejas G, et al. A global picture of family medicine: the view from a WONCA Storybooth. BMC Fam Pract. 2019;20:129. doi: 10.1186/s12875-019-1017-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ohta R, Sano C. Family physicians as system-specific specialists in Japan’s aging society. Cureus. 2022;14:e30811. doi: 10.7759/cureus.30811. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources