Let's understand the field of nutrition and dietetics. The title "dietitian" is given to a person who works with patients in a hospital. Dietitians are licensed practitioners to prescribe a diet and provide additional support to a medical team for better recovery of patients and reduction in the length of stay in the hospital. In this article, we will share with you some information on the Nutrition Care Process or NCP which is currently implemented by dietetics practitioners worldwide, with various advantages, including ensuring consistency and clarity of dietetics-related healthcare records and the possibility to collect and analyze patient outcomes. The NCP is a systematic problem-solving method that dietetics professionals have practiced to critically think and make decisions to address nutrition-related problems. It is composed of the following four distinct and interrelated nutrition steps which is the “ADIME Process” which stands for Assessment Diagnosis Intervention Monitoring, and Evaluation.

• Nutrition Assessment

The primary step within the NCP is Nutrition Appraisal. “assessment” is used to represent the data that's gathered to continue through the NCP. The information included focuses on details from the patient or the patient’s record: food history, biochemical data, medications, patient statements, opinions, anthropometric measurements, etc. The nutrition professional investigates the data about the patient circumstances obtained from numerous sources, including but not restricted to the chart, patient, family, and doctor.

• Nutrition Diagnosis

The Nutrition Diagnosis takes the therapeutic diagnosis further and distinguishes the nutrition component that requires the interaction of the dietitian.  This declaration is linked by the connecting terms in problem/nutrition diagnosis as shown through the signs and symptoms.” Forming the statement can be crucial, as it informs the health care team to focus on solving the nutrition problem.

• Nutrition Intervention

The dietitian’s actions are considered the “nutrition intervention.” The nutrition interventions are expected to dispose of or decrease the Nutrition Diagnosis. It can include but is not limited to, educating/counseling, contacting the doctor, referring to the social worker, ordering/adding nutritional supplements, etc. All of these actions are intended to reduce the signs and symptoms of the Nutrition Diagnosis.

• Nutrition Monitoring and Evaluation

Continued monitoring of the signs and symptoms is used to define the impact of the nutrition intervention on the signs and symptoms of the health problem. Its purpose is to regulate the amount of development made and whether goals/expected outcomes are being met. 

The basis for effective nutrition care begins with the patient’s nutrition needs and must involve the patient's preferences with consultation also of his or her family. The close teamwork among all healthcare professionals that provide primary care is essential to the patient’s overall wellbeing and fast recovery.

PNFP- Karla P. Calapardo, RND

References:

• Implementation and Practical Application of the Nutrition Care Process in the Dialysis Unit

https://www.jrnjournal.org/article/S1051-2276(12)00048-9/fulltext