Clinical nurse specialists in nutrition: A systematic review of roles and clinical experiences

Abstract

Background/scopeThe Clinical Nurse Specialist in Nutrition is a professional capable of providing specialist clinical assistance and leadership‐related clinical nutrition. To date, although their role has already been identified, there is still uncertainty about how this figure can actually fit into the various global health systems. The purpose of this review is to clarify and define the role of this professional aimed at analysing clinical experiences and data from nutrition scientific societies.MethodologyA systematic literature review was conducted using the Prisma Statement in the Cochrane Library databases and subsequently in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science. In addition, a manual search of studies published in Google Scholar was conducted for the analysis of ‘grey literature’. Out of 2,348 identified records, 21 studies were included in the present review.ResultsThe development of specific training, certification and qualification protection courses is contributing to the development of this professional in various hospital and community clinical contexts. The clinical experiences identified have shown that this figure is able to provide specialist assistance by offering high levels of safety, efficacy and quality of the care provided.Conclusions/ implications for nursingThe implementation of nurse nutrition specialist, to date, is still limited at the global level, and training programmes coordinated between scientific societies and nursing universities could be the basis for the development of this specialization in countries where today this figure is not yet present.

Nutritional Prehabilitation in Patients Undergoing Cystectomy: A Systematic Review

“…Physicians, surgeons, nutritionists, and other specialized professionals, such as clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) and speech therapists, are essential in nutritional prehabilitation programs. Surgeons provide essential medical expertise and oversee the surgical aspect of care, ensuring optimal surgical outcomes, supported by dieticians and nutritionists who provide crucial dietary guidance and offer personalized nutritional support tailored to the specific needs of each patient [ 42 , 43 ]. CNSs play a fundamental role by providing comprehensive patient education, coordinating nursing care between various healthcare providers, and addressing psychosocial factors that may impact nutritional well-being [ 44 ], also involving professionals such as psychologists.…”