The incorporation of body composition assessments as part of routine clinical care in a tertiary hospital's dietetic department: a best practice implementation project.

Objectives: Our aim was to incorporate body composition assessment (BCA) into dietetic department procedures using interventions tailored to previously identified barriers and enablers.

Introduction: BCA is recommended as part of routine malnutrition assessment and follow-up but is not yet part of usual care.

Methods: Evidence-informed strategies to overcome barriers and enablers were operationalized and delivered as three overarching interventions: upskilling (professional development strategy), modelling and reducing fear of change (Clinical Champion project), and embedding as usual practice (departmental integration).

Using the theoretical domains framework to inform strategies to support dietitians undertaking body composition assessments in routine clinical care.

Background: Malnutrition, sarcopenia and cachexia are clinical wasting syndromes characterised by muscle loss. Systematic monitoring by body composition assessment (BCA) is recommended for the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of the syndrome(s). This study investigated practices, competency, and attitudes of Australian dietitians regarding BCA, to inform a local implementation process.