Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Revised 2017 Standards of Practice in Nutrition Care and Standards of Professional Performance for Nutrition and Dietetics Technicians, Registered

Abstract

Nutrition and dietetics technicians, registered (NDTRs) face complex situations every day. Competently addressing the unique needs of each situation and applying standards appropriately are essential to providing safe, timely patient-/client-/customer-centered quality nutrition and dietetics care and services. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy) leads the profession by developing standards that can be used by NDTRs (who are credentialed by the Commission on Dietetic Registration) for self-evaluation to assess quality of practice and performance. The Standards of Practice reflect the NDTR's role under the supervision of registered dietitian nutritionists in nutrition screening and the Nutrition Care Process and workflow elements, which includes nutrition screening, nutrition assessment, nutrition diagnosis, nutrition intervention/plan of care, nutrition monitoring and evaluation, and discharge planning and transitions of care. The Standards of Professional Performance consist of six domains of professional performance: Quality in Practice, Competence and Accountability, Provision of Services, Application of Research, Communication and Application of Knowledge, and Utilization and Management of Resources. Within each standard, indicators provide measurable action statements that illustrate how the standard can be applied to practice. The Academy's Revised 2017 Standards of Practice and Standards of Professional Performance for NDTRs along with the Academy/Commission on Dietetic Registration Code of Ethics, and the Scope of Practice for the NDTR provide minimum standards and tools for demonstrating competence and safe practice, and are used collectively to gauge and guide an NDTR's performance in nutrition and dietetics practice.

Improved meals service and reduced food waste and costs in medical institutions resulting from employment of a food service dietitian – a case study

“…Several years ago, in order to define the problems and to propose solutions, the Nutrition Division in the Israel Ministry of Health initiated extensive discussions. One of the research-based solutions was based on the experience in the United States of integrating dietitians in the position of Senior Coordinator Nutrition and Food Control [2]. This position was created in order to improve the situation and ensure the provision of nutritious food to the patient [3], throughout the food chain: from supervision and quality control of raw materials prior to purchase, storage, production of dishes, conservation processes, transport and delivery to patients according to their medical condition and to reduce food waste.…”

The Role of Bioethics in the Work of Specialists Providing Healthy Eating Counseling

“…Rational nutrition is becoming an integral part of preventing various diseases and maintaining an optimal level of life activity, so such specialties as dietitian, nutritionist, sports dietitian play a key role in ensuring the health and well-being of patients, in particular through healthy nutrition [24].…”

“…A sports dietitian recommends how to combine certain dietary interventions with a specific sport to achieve certain results, target body weight, appearance, etc. [24,25,26].…”

“…The fundamental principles of bioethics are the principle of personal autonomy (recognition and respect for autonomy, the right of a person to decide on all issues related to his or her own soma, psyche and emotional status); the Hippocratic principle of "no harm"; the principle of beneficence, or do good (Paracelsus model), and the principle of justice. These principles regulate the relevant rules: truthfulness, privacy, confidentiality, reliability, and informed consent [23,24,25,26].…”

A Primer for the Evaluation and Integration of Dietary Intake and Physical Activity Digital Measurement Tools into Nutrition and Dietetics Practice

“…Therefore, building a structure for the appropriate use of technology is vital to provide effective nutrition care in the COVID-19 era. 9 While taking into account Standards of Practice and Standards of Professional Performance, 10 , 11 Registered Dietitians and Nutritionists (RDNs) and Nutrition and Dietetics Technicians, Registered (NDTRs), are uniquely positioned to play an active role in the development, use, and evaluation of DI and PA related technology for Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT). 12 This type of work is part of the practice area of nutrition informatics.…”