NUTRITION PRACTICES OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS AFTER EDUCATION BY A PHYSICIAN NUTRITION SPECIALIST

Although nutrition is an important part of medical care, nutrition edu cation is not provided in most training programs for physicians in the United States, resulting in limited nutrition knowledge among physici ans and limited nutritional care of patients. A nutrition education pr ogram was provided by a physician nutrition specialist in a family pra ctice residency program. For 6 mo, the nutrition specialist provided t he family physicians with recommendations for nutritional care for the ir patients. The effects of the education program on residents' and fa culty physicians' nutrition knowledge and nutritional patient care, pa tients' perceptions of the importance of nutrition, and physicians' di etary patterns were determined by pre- and postintervention nutrition exams for physicians and patients, patient questionnaires about attitu des toward nutrition, chart reviews, and physicians' diet records. The nutrition education program resulted in an increase in physicians' nu trition knowledge scores (P < 0.01) and an increase in the frequency w ith which physicians discussed nutrition and recommended diets for the ir patients (P < 0.05). This suggests that nutrition education by a ph ysician nutrition specialist within a family practice residency progra m can be effective in increasing nutritional care provided to patients .