Evaluation and Comparison of the Nutrition Care Process for Persons with Diabetes Among Inpatient and Outpatient Dietitians

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the problem-solving skills used by dietitians when planning care for inpatient and outpatient persons with type II diabetes. Telephone interviews were conducted with 44 inpatient dietitians and 45 outpatient dietitians. Inpatient dietitians used more information from the medical record to make clinical judgments than outpatient dietitians. Inpatient dietitians reported condensing their assessment more frequently due to time pressure than outpatient dietitians. Inpatient dietilians were more likely to identify nutrition-related problems via information from the medical record while outpatient dietitians reported using diet history information. Outpatient dietitians more frequently identified specific behavioral goals whereas inpatient dietitians recommended general goals. The increased availability of objective, detailed information necessary for a thorough nutritional assessment is an advantage of inpatient care planning. However, outpatient diabetes education may be a preferred setting because of more time available for education and better learning effectiveness.