Evaluation of Dietitian Counselling Access Revealed Reduced Pediatrician-Reported Hospital Admissions and Increased Parental Knowledge and Confidence

Publication: Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
1 February 2017

Abstract

Based on a 1999 needs assessment a pediatric community-based outpatient dietitian counselling service was created. By 2010 annual referrals had grown to almost 1500 (62% from physicians; 38% from public health nurses). An evaluation was undertaken to gather perspectives of practitioners and parents about access, satisfaction, referral practices, and changes in knowledge, attitudes, behaviour, and child well-being. Health professionals surveyed via email were 62 pediatricians (response rate 71%), 25 family physicians (21%), 87 public health nurses (31%), and 7 dietitian providers (100%). Parents (n = 93, response rate 75% of those contacted) were interviewed by telephone. Pediatricians reported a significantly lower rate of 7% (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.8%–23%) for admitting children to hospital to access a dietitian, compared to 1999 of 39% (95% CI, 22%–59%) (P = 0.005). Health professionals reported a high degree of agreement on benefits of the service to their practice and on child health problems and a high degree of satisfaction with the service. Parents reported gaining knowledge (76%), confidence (93%), and making behaviour changes in foods offered (77%). Our evaluation demonstrated health practitioners saw a need for access to dietitians for pediatric dietitian counselling and parents reported more confidence and improved child feeding practices after dietitian counselling.

Résumé

À la suite d’une évaluation des besoins menée en 1999, un service communautaire pédiatrique de counseling de diététistes en consultation externe a été créé. En 2010, les recommandations annuelles avaient augmenté à presque 1 500 (62 % provenant de médecins et 38 % d’infirmières de la santé publique). Une évaluation a été entreprise pour recueillir le point de vue des cliniciens et des parents sur l’accès, la satisfaction, les pratiques de recommandation et les changements en matière de connaissances, d’attitudes, de comportements et de bien-être des enfants. Les professionnels de la santé sondés par courriel étaient 62 pédiatres (taux de réponse de 71 %), 25 médecins de famille (21 %), 87 infirmières de la santé publique (31 %) et 7 diététistes offrant les services (100 %). Les parents (n = 93, taux de réponse de 75 % des parents contactés) ont été interviewés par téléphone. Les pédiatres ont déclaré un taux d’admission des enfants à l’hôpital pour consulter un diététiste significativement plus faible, soit de 7 % (intervalle de confiance [IC] à 95 %, 0,8 %–23 %), comparativement au taux de 2009, qui était de 39 % (IC à 95 %, 22 %–59 %) (P = 0,005). Le consensus des professionnels de la santé était élevé quant aux avantages du service relativement à leur pratique et aux problèmes de santé des enfants et ils étaient très satisfaits du service. Les parents ont déclaré avoir acquis des connaissances (76 %), de la confiance (93 %) et avoir changé leur comportement relativement aux aliments offerts (77 %). Notre évaluation a démontré que les cliniciens en santé ont vu le besoin d’avoir accès à des diététistes pour du counseling pédiatrique, et les parents ont indiqué une plus grande confiance et de meilleures pratiques d’alimentation pour leurs enfants après le counseling avec une diététiste.

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Funding source: Nutrition Services, Alberta Health Services.
Conflict of interest: None of the authors have any conflict of interest.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

cover image Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
Volume 78Number 2June 2017
Pages: 81 - 85

History

Version of record online: 1 February 2017

Authors

Affiliations

Katherine (Kay) Watson-Jarvis MNS, FDC
Nutrition Services, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, AB
Lorna Driedger BSc, RD
Nutrition Services, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, AB
Tanis R. Fenton PhD, RD, FDC
Nutrition Services, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, AB
Department of Community Health Sciences, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, O’Brien Institute for Public Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB

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