Nutrition practices of family physicians after education by a physician nutrition specialist

Abstract

Although nutrition is an important part of medical care, nutrition education is not provided in most training programs for physicians in the United States, resulting in limited nutrition knowledge among physicians and limited nutritional care of patients. A nutrition education program was provided by a physician nutrition specialist in a family practice residency program. For 6 mo, the nutrition specialist provided the family physicians with recommendations for nutritional care for their patients. The effects of the education program on residents' and faculty physicians' nutrition knowledge and nutritional patient care, patients' perceptions of the importance of nutrition, and physicians' dietary patterns were determined by pre- and post-intervention nutrition exams for physicians and patients, patient questionnaires about attitudes toward nutrition, chart reviews, and physicians' diet records. The nutrition education program resulted in an increase in physicians' nutrition knowledge scores (P < 0.01) and an increase in the frequency with which physicians discussed nutrition and recommended diets for their patients (P < 0.05). This suggests that nutrition education by a physician nutrition specialist within a family practice residency program can be effective in increasing nutritional care provided to patients.