Interprofessional Education (IPE) between Medical and Dietetics Students: Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) Influencing Patient Care

Health Professions - Clinical (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)Inter-professional education (IPE) is a teaching process where students of various health professions work together and learn through engaging activities in-order to improve overall healthcare. Despite the growing need for IPE, a lack of data exists pertaining to IPE outcomes between students in domains of nutrition & medicine. The overall aim was to implement and evaluate didactic and experiential MNT for medical students (MS) and dietetic interns (DI). Medical Dietetics faculty taught key components of dietary risk assessment and MNT (specifically DASH, carbohydrate-controlled, gluten free, mineral-controlled for renal disease, and national cholesterol education program (NCEP)). Then, one DI paired with 2-6 MS and altered sample meals using evidence-based guidelines as specified in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Nutrition Care Manual. Each MS made suggestions for therapeutic alterations to meals. Each group discussed potential challenges facing patients following specific diets. Barriers and solutions for healthy eating discussed in each group included picky eaters, food insecurity, frequently eating out, cooking challenges, family dysfunctions, and food sensitivities. At end of session, Faculty debriefed the entire class with an overall discussion. Evaluations for MS included pre- and post-session 5-point Likert-surveys (least=1; most=5) rating perceived confidence & knowledge for: altering meals for MNT, suggesting healthy solutions, recognizing parameters of nutrition risk, and integrating MNT and the role of dietitians. DI gave post-session feedback to open-ended IPE questions. Analyses showed a significant change in pre and post survey scores for every question (p<0.05). MS rated the IPE session with highest marks for helpfulness of session to alter meals in accordance to MNT guidelines, address parameters to assess nutrition risk in acute care, and work alongside RDs. DI feedback underscored the role of RDs on the medical team. Future IPE work should include longitudinal assessment of impact once MS are in clinical and resident rotations.Academic Major: Medical Dietetic

Interprofessional education (IPE) between Medical and Dietetic students: Prescribing Medical Nutrition Therapy?

Abstract Introduction: Interprofessional education (IPE) is a collaborative learning process between health professionals to improve healthcare outcomes. Limited data exists on IPE specifically between medical students (MS) and dietetic students (DS). Our study evaluated a two hour didactic and experiential Medical Nutritional Therapy (MNT) session for MS, facilitated by dietetics faculty and DS

Can we reduce autism-related gastrointestinal and behavior problems by gut microbiota based dietary modulation? A review

Introduction: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that negatively affects a child's interaction and communication with the environment. The signals between intestine, brain, and microbiota change in autism. Altering the composition of microbiota may contribute to the development of clinical symptoms. Diet is one of the most important factors influencing intestinal microbiota. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the role of intestinal microbiota in gastrointestinal (GI) and behavioral problems seen in children with autism and discuss the potential effect of diet on intestinal microbiota in reducing these problems. Methods: The database Web of Science was searched for relevant studies. The combinations of the following terms were used for the search: 'autism' or 'autistic' and 'microbiome' or 'microbiota' or 'gut bacteria' or 'gut microbiota' or 'gut microbiome.' The analysis included human studies evaluating the relationship between GI problems and/or behavioral problems and intestinal microbiota in autism in the English language with no time limitation. Results: The initial search resulted in 691 studies, with 14 studies fully meeting the inclusion criteria. In these studies, high growth rates of Clostridium histolyticum, C. perfringens, and Sutterella; high ratio of Escherichia/Shigella; and low ratio of Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes were generally related to GI problems, while relative abundance of Desulfovibrio, Clostridium spp., and Bacteroides vulgatus were associated with behavior disorders. Conclusions: Published studies on the relationship of gastrointestinal and behavioral problems with gut microbiota in autism are very limited and contradictory. The fact that the results of the studies are not consistent with each other may be explained by the differences in the age of participants, geographical region, sample size, presence of GI problems in the selected control group, and feces or biopsy samples taken from different regions of GI system. With the available information, it is not yet possible to develop a gut microbiota-based nutritional intervention to treat GI symptoms for people with autism

The Effect of the Low FODMAP Diet on Gastrointestinal Symptoms, Behavioral Problems and Nutrient Intake in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Some research suggests that GI symptoms seen in children with ASD may relate to behavior problems. The objective of this pilot study was to assess the effect of the low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAP) diet on GI and behavioral problems in children with ASD. At follow-up, the low FODMAP diet group had significant relief in some GI problems compared with both baseline in the group and control group. At baseline and at follow-up, there were no significant differences in behavioral problems between the low FODMAP diet group and the control group. Randomized controlled studies including larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the effects of low FODMAP diets in children with autism who have gastrointestinal problems

Stakeholder Perceptions of a Hybrid Competency-Based Education Program in Dietetics

As requirements for entry-level dietitians advance to the master’s degree level, the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics has published a Future Education Model (FEM). At present, FEM utilizes Competency-Based Education (CBE) for optional program implementation at early adopter demonstration sites. A limited number of CBE programs exist within the field of dietetics, and there is little published literature on its use in this arena. The present study leverages focus groups with students and interviews with faculty and preceptors to evaluate use of a novel CBE program in dietetics and explore factors that facilitate or hinder implementation of such program. A series of focus groups (n=5) were conducted with FEM-engaged students over the course of the 2021-2022 academic year. Faculty (n=9) and preceptors (n=8) involved with training students in a FEM program were invited to participate in in-depth interviews to complement the student perception. Qualitative data collection was conducted and recorded with videotelephony software, and transcribed verbatim prior to analysis. Semi-structured focus group and interview guides and template analysis were used for data collection and analysis. Coding was conducted independently and compared by two trained reviewers. Facilitators of implementing a CBE program in dietetics included prior educational and work experience, support of coworkers, advancement of the profession, and efficient programmatic structure. Barriers included a lack of preceptor training, difficulty assessing competence, and the resource intensiveness of the program. CBE programs in dietetics should consider extra administrative resources, training of preceptors, and a programmatic-level assessment plan when implementing such programs