Abstract

ONFRAY-CENTONZIO, Paulina et al. Evaluation of Clinical Dietitian Participation in Adequate Prescription of Dietary Indications in Public and Private Hospitals in Chile. Perspect Nut Hum [online]. 2019, vol.21, n.1, pp.71-79. ISSN 0124-4108.  https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.penh.v21n1a06.

Background: Currently Chile has a deficit of clinical dietitians and it is unknown if this deficit is affecting the prescrip tion of adequate dietary indications to hospital patients.

Objective: Evaluate the participation level of clinical dietitians in the adequate prescription of dietary indications in public and private hospitals nationally, between August and November 2016.

Materials and Methods: Exploratory descriptive study. 360 dietitians were invited to participate, and 110 accepted. A 21-question self-response questionnaire was sent to participants via email.

Results: Daily hours dedicated to clinical services was a median of 6 hours among participants, 41.8% of whom had between 26 and 50 patients in their care. 99% of the dietitians are able to suggest changes to the dietary prescriptions; however only 45% of the modifications that are suggested to the doctors are ever recorded in the clinical records. Participation in dietary prescription at the beginning of patient treatment is 9.1 %, throughout the hospital stay is 32.7 %, and prescriptions made at discharge correspond to 56.4 %. More years of experience and more hours dedicated to clinical service cor respond to a significantly better percentage in dietary prescriptions administered (p<0.05).

Conclusions: The level of dietitian participation is average; the dietitians with more years of experience and higher number of hours dedicated to patient care present better dietary prescription to hospital patients.

Keywords : Hospitals; clinical competence; diet therapy; dietitian; nutritionist.

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