Institutional Benchmarking Survey: Registered Dietitian Practices in Outpatient Pediatric Eating Disorder Care
摘要
An interdisciplinary team approach including registered dietitians (RDs) is recommended for management of eating disorder (ED) care in pediatric populations. However, there are no standards of care for RDs in outpatient pediatric settings thus potentially increasing the likelihood of inconsistent and inequitable care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in ED cases caused unprecedented demand on healthcare resources and the rapid evolution of care delivery models. This study fills a considerable gap in the literature by examining RD practices across pediatric outpatient ED care settings via survey and literature review.
Recent FindingsSurvey results suggested that a majority of RDs practiced within interdisciplinary teams using a Family Based Treatment (FBT)-aligned approach and used telemedicine for some portion of their ED appointments. Responses regarding care delivery topics, such as visit frequency and duration and nutrition education content were highly variable. This aligns with our literature review findings which were limited and lacked results that could be translated into RD practice.
SummaryThis study maintains that RDs prioritize individualized care, however it highlights a gap in practice standards for their role in ED treatment. Our results emphasize the importance of addressing variability in nutrition practice when interpreting outcomes of RD involvement in ED care in future studies.