Dietitian assistant opportunities within the nutrition care process for patients with or at risk of malnutrition: a systematic review

AIM

Shifting to models of care that incorporate delegation of nutrition care process actions to dietitian assistants could facilitate effective and efficient nutrition care delivery. This review aimed to determine if delegation of malnutrition care activities to dietitian assistants, when compared with routine nutrition care practices influences patient, healthcare and/or workforce outcomes for adult hospital inpatients with or at risk of malnutrition.

METHODS

This review was undertaken in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, with five databases (CINAHL, Medline, PsycINFO, Embase and Scopus) searched systematically for studies published up to and including February 2020. Exclusion criteria included review articles and studies conducted in community settings.

RESULTS

The search yielded 3431 results, with 11 studies eligible for inclusion. Across all domains of the nutrition care process, there is emerging evidence dietitian assistants may improve the delivery of nutrition care practices, patient, healthcare and workforce outcomes. Findings demonstrated various roles and scope of dietitian assistants' practice throughout the studies. Positive patient outcomes were found when dietitian assistants were part of a multi-disciplinary model of care.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementing delegation of components of the nutrition care process to dietitian assistants is vital in the current health climate and should be considered in a future multidisciplinary model of nutrition care. Exploration of dietitian assistant roles and opportunities are required to expand and strengthen the evidence.

Trends and Novel Research in Hospital Nutrition Care: A Narrative Review of Leading Clinical Nutrition Journals

Hospital malnutrition is a longstanding problem that continues to be underrecognized and undertreated. The aim of this narrative review is to summarize novel, solution-focused, recent research or commentary to update providers on the prevention of iatrogenic malnutrition as well as the detection and treatment of hospital malnutrition. A narrative review was completed using the top 11 clinically relevant nutrition journals. Of the 13,850 articles and editorials published in these journals between 2013 and 2019, 511 were related to hospital malnutrition. A duplicate review was used to select (n = 108) and extract key findings from articles and editorials. Key criteria for selection were population of interest (adult hospital patients, no specific diagnostic group), solution-focused, and novel perspectives. Articles were categorized (6 classified in >1 category) as Screening and Assessment (n = 17), Standard (n = 25), Advanced (n = 12) and Specialized Nutrition Care (n = 8), Transitions (n = 15), Multicomponent (n = 21), Education and Empowerment (n = 9), Economic Impact (n = 3), and Guidelines (n = 4) for summarizing. Research advances in screening implementation, standard nutrition care, transitions, and multicomponent interventions provide new strategies to consider for malnutrition prevention (iatrogenic), detection, and care. However, several areas requiring further research were identified. Specifically, larger and more rigorous studies that examine health outcomes and economic analyses are urgently needed.