Telenutrition: Changes in Professional Practice and in the Nutritional Assessments of Italian Dietitian Nutritionists in the COVID-19 Era

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about various restrictions around the world, and its impact on healthcare has been enormous: RDNs have had to shift from in-person interactions with clients to telenutrition consultations, encountering obstacles. We designed the first survey to investigate the changes in RDN practices related to telenutrition provision after the onset of the pandemic through an online survey in Italy. Four hundred and thirty-six responses were analyzed. Before the pandemic, only 16% of Italian RDNs provided telenutrition; this percentage increased significantly up to 63% (p < 0.001). Among patients, the lack of interest in accessing telenutrition (30.9%) and the Internet (16.7%) were the most frequently reported barriers. Among RDNs, one of the main obstacles was their inability to conduct nutritional evaluation or monitoring activities (24.4%). Our survey indicated that increased adoption of telenutrition can be a valid, safe alternative to face-to-face visits. Telenutrition was mainly used by young RDNs (20–39 years) with fewer years of professional experience (0–20 years) and master’s degrees. Remote nutrition can enable RDNs to maintain normal workloads and provide patients with uninterrupted access to nutritional healthcare. It is important that RDNs using telemedicine resources possess the ability to provide high-quality, efficient, and secure services using evidence-based guidance.

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

“…This confirms previous study findings showing that 72% of dietitians performed an alternative over-the-phone nutrition counseling during COVID-19, while 53.5% used an online platform [18]. It also comes in concordance with an Italian study showing that the proportion of registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) providing tele-nutrition had increased by 47% during the pandemic [19]. In this context, a recent systematic review showed that dietitians might improve nutrition outcomes for patients with or at risk of malnutrition [20].…”

Telenutrition Education Is Effective for Glycemic Management in People with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Non-Inferiority Randomized Controlled Trial in Japan

“…Telenutrition is an innovative approach that enables the delivery of healthcare services in remote areas through the use of digital devices, the internet, software, and telecommunication networks [ 9 , 22 , 23 ]. The digitization of healthcare using telenutrition and other new digital approaches has evolved over the last few years, and the unique circumstances of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have led to its rapid and widespread adoption [ 4 , 5 ]. This study reported a method of nutrition education using a videoconferencing platform, and showed that telenutrition education can contribute to the treatment of diabetes for glycemic management by a registered dietitian.…”

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Telemedicine in inflammatory bowel diseases: A new brick in the medicine of the future?

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