Meet Your Dietitians
This healthcare professional that completes an accredited nutrition degree, supervised practice, passes a national board exam, and is licensed to provide medical nutrition therapy. As of 2024, a Registered Dietitian is required to have a Master's Degree.
What is a Registered Dietitian?
True or False: Dietitians only educate patients about healthy eating.
False!
They assess nutrition status, diagnose malnutrition, manage EN/PN, perform NFPEs, calculate needs, recommend supplements/ONS.
Name three reasons you would consult a dietitian.
Poor PO intake >/= 5 days, malnutrition, pressure injury, tube feeds, TPN, unintentional wt loss, refeeding risk, dysphagia affecting PO
Which of these is NOT typically performed by a dietitian?
A) Tube feed recommendations
B) diagnosing malnutrition
C) Taking extensive food preferences
D) TPN recommendations
C) Taking extensive food preferences
We do take SOME preferences, but our main goal is to assess clinical nutrition status. The FSM team helps greatly in this area!
A patient has lost 18% body wt in 4 months and is eating <50% of needs. BMI is 31 - Obese Class 1.
Should nutrition be consulted?
Absolutely. This meets malnutrition diagnosis pending how long PO intakes have been poor. BMI is not an indicator of malnutrition (Obese OR Underwt)