Adopt a dietitian–clinician co-teacher model and multidisciplinary teaching teams to clarify roles and increase appropriate referrals¶

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

Description¶

The review recommends a multidisciplinary approach in which dietitians lead nutrition teaching alongside senior academics, since "Dietitians possess the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively deliver nutrition education within the healthcare setting". Multiprofessional team teaching helps students understand each professional's roles, and a dietitian–clinician co-teacher model is proposed to address identified limitations by grounding nutrition education in both theory and clinical application.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Embedding dietitians in teaching modules and clinical rotations with appropriate involvement in curriculum development

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• medical students
• junior doctors

Target Learning Goals¶

• understanding dietitian roles
• appropriate referral practices
• nutrition patient care

Claims¶

• 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¶

• Provide dedicated nutrition counselling slots, extended consultations and postgraduate nutrition pathways including lifestyle medicine curricula and nutrition subspecialties
• Integrate nutrition throughout medical training using a vertical spiral curriculum with practical teaching methods such as cooking lessons
• Train elementary school teachers in APD symptomatology so they can identify suspected cases and serve on multidisciplinary teams

Examples¶

-

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