Zoekresultaten

Effectiveness of dietetic treatment after 9 months in primary care in The Netherlands

Customised care

Physiotherapy, Dietetics and Occupational Therapy have been collaborating over recent years to develop an optimal healthcare programme for patients with Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS). This case is an example of PICS symptomatology and focuses on the collaboration between Physiotherapy and Dietetics. What is PICS? Owing to healthcare improvements, more and more patients are surviving the intensive Care Unit (ICU), and recovery during and after ICU stay has been receiving more attention [1, 2]. Approximately 30% of the patients admitted to an ICU have persistent symptoms including muscle weakness, reduced walking ability, fatigue, concentration deficits, memory problems, malnutrition, sleep and mood disorders sometimes even years after discharge [3-8]. Since 2012, this combination of physical, cognitive and psychiatric manifestations and reduced quality of life after staying in an ICU has been recognised as Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) [9]. The impact of PICS is often not limited to the patient as it may also impact the mental status of the patient’s immediate family. This is known as PICS-Family (PICS-F) [10-12]. Treatment of PICS: Approximately 80% of PICS patients need primary care physiotherapy. Physiotherapists and GPs are often the only primary care professionals involved in the recovery process of these patients after hospital discharge [13, 14]. Both patients and healthcare professionals report a number of difficulties, e.g. limited transmural continuity in healthcare, coordination of multidisciplinary activities, supportive treatment guidelines and specific knowledge of pathology, treatment and prognosis. Patients report that they are not adequately supported when resuming their professional activities and that medical and allied healthcare treatments do not fully meet their needs at that time [15-18]. The REACH project: In order to improve the situation, the REACH project (REhabilitation After Critical illness and Hospital discharge) was started in Amsterdam region in the Netherlands. Within REACH, a Community of Practice – consisting of professionals (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians), those who live or have lived with the condition and researchers – has developed a transmural rehab programme. A special attribute of this programme is the integration of the concept of “positive health”. The case in this article describes the treatment of a PICS patient treated within the REACH network.

Smart goal setting in current dietetic practice in primary care in the Netrherlands

RATIONALE: Current developments drive dieticians in the primary care setting to demonstrate their effectiveness to both patients and stakeholders. Working with SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound) goal setting may increase effectiveness. This study describes the current dietetic practice in the primary care setting in The Netherlands with regard to goal setting.

Proposed standard model and consistent terminology for monitoring and outcome evaluation in different dietetic care settings

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Dietetic interventions contribute to certain health objectives and other outcomes, but are mostly part of a multimodal and multidisciplinary approach what makes evaluating the actual effects of dietitians' involvement rather complex. Although monitoring and outcome evaluation (M&OE) can provide routine data to prove the effectiveness of dietetic interventions, this has not been established yet in different dietetic settings.METHODS: A comprehensive framework for M&OE in dietetics was developed by dietetic experts from five European higher education institutes for dietetics in the course of the EU sponsored project "Improvement of Education and Competences in Dietetics (IMPECD)".RESULTS: Firstly, clear definitions on M&OE are proposed to facilitate the use of consistent terminology, with a specific emphasis on the term "impact" covering macro-level outcomes such as cost-effectiveness. Secondly, the Dietetic Care Process (DCP) was merged into a logic model to demonstrate the position of M&OE in relation to intervention planning and implementation, in both group and individual settings. Thirdly, selecting the appropriate indicators is indispensable to monitor and evaluate outcomes, and requires a high level of dietitians' critical reasoning. A categorized overview of indicators is provided to support this process. Lastly, the consortium developed a checklist to give dietitians a handle on what elements could be included in their M&OE plan and trigger them to perform M&OE in practice.CONCLUSIONS: Innovative M&OE models may help dietitians to demonstrate their effectiveness in improving clinical outcomes and justify their role in health care.

Process models in dietetic care

Using a Dietetic Care Process (DCP) can lead to improved application of evidence-based guidelines and critical thinking in dietetics. One aim of the project Improvement of Education and Competences in Dietetics (IMPECD) is to develop a unified DCP for international educational purposes. Therefore, a comparison of European DCPs was needed.A concise literature search and semi-structured interviews with experts representing the full EFAD (European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians) member states were conducted from June to October 2017.16 out of 23 EFAD member states responded (70%) from which 13 indicated to use a DCP. Eight different DCPs were found, with four to six core steps and three graphical representations. In one country the use of a dietetic process is indicated by law. The DCPs have more similarities than differences as they follow the same principles. Differences in language or form may not limit the improvement in collaboration and international exchange in dietetic practice. These results provide a good basis for the development of a unified DCP for educational purposes.