Provide dedicated nutrition counselling slots, extended consultations and postgraduate nutrition pathways including lifestyle medicine curricula and nutrition subspecialties¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 review), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The review recommends allocating more time and resources for nutrition within clinical settings, noting GP clinics "might need to be designed such as to include dedicated slots for nutrition counselling for patients", supported by government funding. It also advocates postgraduate pathways such as lifestyle medicine curricula teaching motivational interviewing and exercise prescription, and new nutrition and obesity subspecialties to produce doctor nutrition subspecialists.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Institutional support, extended consultation times and funding for nutrition care in clinical settings

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• doctors
• general practitioners
• medical residents

Target Learning Goals¶

• nutrition counselling in clinical practice
• motivational interviewing
• nutrition care across specialties

Claims¶

• The review reports that most UK medical students receive less than 2 hours of nutrition education and that 75% of US medical schools have no required clinical nutrition classes [+W]
• The review names stigma, personal health habits and clinical practice constraints (time, funding, guidance, low dietitian referrals) among the reasons for the nutrition knowledge gap [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Adopt a dietitian–clinician co-teacher model and multidisciplinary teaching teams to clarify roles and increase appropriate referrals
• Integrate nutrition throughout medical training using a vertical spiral curriculum with practical teaching methods such as cooking lessons

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Khiri Nasr and Kristy Howells. (2025). Nutritional Education in Medical Curricula and Clinical Practice: A Scoping Review on the Knowledge Deficit Amongst Medical Students and Doctors. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.70031