A Study of United States Registered Dietitian Nutritionists during COVID-19: From Impact to Adaptation

Oliver, Tracy L.; Shenkman, Rebecca; Mensinger, Janell L.; Moore, Caroline; Diewald, Lisa

doi:10.3390/nu14040907

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 31 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…Dietitians, who serve as the foundation of any healthcare facility, have made significant contributions to the COVID-19 pandemic response [9]. Dietitians are specialists in determining the patient's dietary needs while considering the patient's age, gender, and any other underlying medical issues that may exist [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Snapshot of the Experience of Dietitians during the COVID-19 Crisis in Five Arab Countries: Findings from a Regional Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2022

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COVID-19’s intimidating spread has challenged the resilience of the global health systems, causing shifts in the practices of healthcare workers, including dietitians. The current study aimed to assess the change in dietitians’ practices and duties in hospitals/clinics after the commencement of COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study was conducted in five Arab countries between November 2020 and January 2021. A convenient sample of 903 dietitians filled an online self-administered questionnaire to meet the study aims. Nearly 40.0% of the dietitians experienced a change in their workload and caseload during the pandemic. Besides, 18.7% of the dietitians had been assigned additional tasks in their facilities. Nearly half the dietitians (46.9%) had started giving remote nutrition consultations, associated with a 21% drop in the number of dietitians offering in-person consultations (p = 0.001). Approximately 58.9% of the dietitians provided nutrition care to COVID-19 patients, with 48.4% having access to personal protective equipment. Moreover, 17.0% of dietitians supported COVID-19 patients with enteral and parenteral nutrition. In addition, 45.0% of dietitians reported that managing COVID-19 was challenging given that it was a newly discovered condition.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Snapshot of the Experience of Dietitians during the COVID-19 Crisis in Five Arab Countries: Findings from a Regional Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2022

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The work-lives of Canadian Registered Dietitians during the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive analysis of survey data

Hewko,

Freeburn

2024

Discov Health Systems

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Background Healthcare workers experienced significant disruptions to both their personal and professional lives throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. How healthcare workers were impacted varied, depending on area of specialization, work setting, and factors such as gender. Dietetics is a female-dominated profession and the differential impact on women of the COVID-19 pandemic has been widely reported. While researchers have explored Registered Dietitians’ (RDs) experiences during the pandemic, none have looked explicitly at their experiences of redeployment. The objectives of this study were to better understand: (i) the impact of COVID-19 (and related redeployments) on the work-lives of RDs, (ii) what types of COVID-19 related supports and training were made available to these RDs, and (iii) the impact of RD redeployment on access to RD services. Methods An online survey was administered in June 2022. Any RD that that was publicly-employed in Canada during the pandemic was eligible to participate. The survey included questions related to respondent demographics, professional details, redeployment and training. We conducted descriptive analyses on the quantitative data. Results The survey was completed by 205 eligible RDs. There were notable differences between public health and clinical RDs’ redeployment experiences. Only 17% of clinical RDs had been redeployed, compared to 88% of public health RDs. Public health RDs were redeployed for longer and were more likely to be redeployed to roles that did not required RD-specific knowledge or skills. The most commonly reported mandatory training was for proper use of personal protective equipment. The most commonly reported reasons for a lengthy absence from work were anxiety about contracting COVID-19, school closures and limited child care availability. Conclusions Public health RDs are at the forefront of campaigns to reduce the burden of chronic disease, improve health equity and enhance the sustainability of food systems. Close to 90% of these RDs were redeployed, with many seeing their typical work undone for many months. More research is needed to quantify the consequences of going without a public health nutrition workforce for an extended period of time and to understand the differential impact gender may have had on work experiences during the pandemic.

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The work-lives of Canadian Registered Dietitians during the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive analysis of survey data

Hewko,

Freeburn

2023

Preprint

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Background Healthcare workers experienced significant disruptions to both their personal and professional lives throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. How health providers were impacted varied, depending on area of specialization, work setting, and other factors. Dietetics is a female-dominated profession and the differential impact on women of the COVID-19 pandemic has been widely reported. While researchers have explored RDs’ experiences during the pandemic, none have looked explicitly at their experiences of redeployment. The objectives of this study were to better understand: i) the impact of COVID-19 (and related redeployments) on the work-lives of Registered Dietitians (RDs), ii) what types of COVID-19 related supports and training were made available to these RDs, and iii) the impact of RD redeployment on access to RD services. Methods An online survey was administered in June 2022. Any RD that that was publicly-employed in Canada during the pandemic was eligible to participate. The survey included questions related to respondent demographics, professional details, redeployment and training. We conducted descriptive analyses on the quantitative data. Results The survey was completed by 205 eligible RDs. There were notable differences between public health and clinical RDs’ redeployment experiences. Only 14% of clinical RDs had been redeployed, compared to 88% of public health RDs. Public health RDs were redeployed for longer and were more likely to be redeployed to roles that did not required RD-specific knowledge or skills. The most commonly reported mandatory training was for proper use of PPE. The most commonly reported reasons for a lengthy absence from work were anxiety about contracting COVID-19, school closures and limited child care availability. Conclusions Public health RDs are at the forefront of campaigns to reduce the burden of chronic disease, improve health equity and enhance the sustainability of food systems. Close to 90% of these RDs were redeployed, with many seeing their typical work undone for many months. More research is needed to quantify the consequences of going without a public health nutrition workforce for an extended period of time and to understand the differential impact gender may have had on work experiences during the pandemic.

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A Study of United States Registered Dietitian Nutritionists during COVID-19: From Impact to Adaptation

Cited by 4 publications

References 31 publications

A Snapshot of the Experience of Dietitians during the COVID-19 Crisis in Five Arab Countries: Findings from a Regional Cross-Sectional Study

A Snapshot of the Experience of Dietitians during the COVID-19 Crisis in Five Arab Countries: Findings from a Regional Cross-Sectional Study

The work-lives of Canadian Registered Dietitians during the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive analysis of survey data

The work-lives of Canadian Registered Dietitians during the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive analysis of survey data

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