Shifting the narrative and practice of assessing professionalism in dietetics education: An Australasian qualitative study.

Aim: We aimed to explore current approaches to assessing professionalism in dietetics education in Australia and New Zealand, and asked the questions what is working well and what needs to improve?

Method: We employed a qualitative interpretive approach and conducted interviews with academic and practitioner (workplace-based) educators (total sample n = 78) with a key stake in dietetics education across Australia and New Zealand. Data were analysed using team-based, framework analysis.

Results: Our findings suggest significant shifts in dietetics education in the area of professionalism assessment.

Professional identity research in the health professions-a scoping review.

Professional identity impacts the workforce at personal, interpersonal and profession levels however there is a lack of reviews of professional identity research across practising health professionals. To summarise professional identity research in the health professions literature and explore how professional identity is described a scoping review was conducted by searching Medline, Psycinfo, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, and Business Source Complete using "professional identity" and related terms for 32 health professions. Empirical studies of professional identity in post-registration health professionals were examined with health profession, career stage, background to research, theoretical underpinnings and constructs of professional identity being extracted, charted and analysed using content analysis where relevant.

"We Are Our Own Worst Enemies": A Qualitative Exploration of Sociocultural Factors in Dietetic Education Influencing Student-Dietitian Transitions.

Background: The transition from student to dietitian is an implicit expectation of dietetic education. Although there has been an expanding literature around elements of competency-based education, little attention has focused on sociocultural aspects of learning and professional identity formation in dietetic education.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore sociocultural factors in dietetics education influencing the transition into the profession from the perspective of dietetics students and educators.

Conceptualizing Professionalism in Dietetics: An Australasian Qualitative Study.

Background: Professionalism is a vital aspect of health care and multidisciplinary teamwork. Although there is substantive professionalism literature in medicine and an expanding health care professions literature, there is a significant gap in understanding professionalism in dietetics. There are very few research papers in the dietetics literature on this issue compared with other health professions.

Hidden Jedi: A critical qualitative exploration of the Fellow credential and advanced expertise.

Aim: The present study aimed to describe the characteristics of a Fellow and critically review factors relevant to recognition and promotion of excellence within the profession of dietetics in Australia.

Methods: Through the development of revised Competency Standards for the Fellow credential, a critical qualitative approach drawing on action research was used whereby members of the profession were given a voice in the research process. Six focus groups with a total of 30 participants explored descriptions of expertise and perceptions of Fellow by the profession and determinants of uptake.

Toward a Global Definition of Professionalism for Nutrition and Dietetics Education: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Background: Professionalism of health care practitioners is central to safe and ethical health care, and forms part of the trust that the public places in health care practitioners. Lapses in professionalism in health care present considerable challenges and can have serious consequences and outcomes. Teaching, learning, and assessing professionalism is an important component of nutrition and dietetics education.

The contested space: The impact of competency-based education and accreditation on dietetic practice in Australia.

Aim: Competency-based Education (CBE) has underpinned the education of dietitians in Australia since the first Competency Standards (CS) were published; however, little is known about how CBE has influenced dietetic practice. The aim of this paper is to explore how a CBE framework and the CS have influenced dietetic practice in Australia since 1990.

Methods: A qualitative investigation explored concepts of dietetic practice.

A Consensus Model: Shifting assessment practices in dietetics tertiary education.

Aim: The aim of this research was to evaluate a Consensus Model for competency-based assessment.

Methods: An evaluative case study was used to allow a holistic examination of a constructivist-interpretivist programmatic model of assessment. Using a modified Delphi process, the competence of all 29 students enrolled in their final year of a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics course was assessed by a panel (with expertise in competency-based assessment; industry and academic representation) from a course e-portfolio (that included the judgements of student performance made by worksite educators) and a panel interview.

Development of advanced practice competency standards for dietetics in Australia.

Aim: This study aimed to explore the work roles, major tasks and core activities of advanced practice dietitians in Australia to define the Competency Standards for advanced practice.

Methods: A qualitative approach was used to review advanced dietetic practice in Australia involving experienced professionals, mostly dietitians. Four focus groups were conducted with a total of 17 participants and an average of 20 years experience: 15 dietitian practitioners plus 2 employers (1 dietitian and 1 non-dietitian).

Development and validation of the Dietetic Confidence Scale for working with clients experiencing psychological issues.

Aim: A standardised tool was needed to measure a generalist dietitian's confidence about working with clients experiencing psychological issues in order to effectively evaluate mental health-related professional development activities. The aim of this study was to develop, pilot and validate a robust instrument that measures a generalist dietitian's professional confidence for working with clients experiencing psychological issues.

Methods: The Dietetic Confidence Scale (DCS) was developed.

A Methodological Review of Confidence Measurement Scales for Dietitians Working with Individuals.

Confidence is frequently used to assess practitioner effectiveness, and its evaluation requires valid and reliable domain-specific tools. However, the quality of existing measures is unknown. This review identifies studies measuring dietitians' confidence in working with individuals; assesses psychometric (measurement) qualities of relevant tools; and identifies areas for future research.

Methodology for developing competency standards for dietitians in Australia.

Competency standards document the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for competent performance. This study develops competency standards for dietitians in order to substantiate an approach to competency standard development. Focus groups explored the current and emerging purpose, role, and function of the profession, which were used to draft competency standards.

Evaluation of a Mobile Phone Image-Based Dietary Assessment Method in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes.

Image-based dietary records have limited evidence evaluating their performance and use among adults with a chronic disease. This study evaluated the performance of a 3-day mobile phone image-based dietary record, the Nutricam Dietary Assessment Method (NuDAM), in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Criterion validity was determined by comparing energy intake (EI) with total energy expenditure (TEE) measured by the doubly-labelled water technique.

A mixed-methods research approach to the review of competency standards for orthotist/prosthetists in Australia.

Aim: The requirement for an allied health workforce is expanding as the global burden of disease increases internationally. To safely meet the demand for an expanded workforce of orthotist/prosthetists in Australia, competency based standards, which are up-to-date and evidence-based, are required. The aims of this study were to determine the minimum level for entry into the orthotic/prosthetic profession; to develop entry level competency standards for the profession; and to validate the developed entry-level competency standards within the profession nationally, using an evidence-based approach.

Improved nutritional status is related to improved quality of life in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Quality of life is poorer in Parkinson's disease than in other conditions and in the general population without Parkinson's disease. Malnutrition also results in poorer quality of life. This study aimed at determining the relationship between quality of life and nutritional status.

Nutrition prescription to achieve positive outcomes in chronic kidney disease: a systematic review.

In Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), management of diet is important in prevention of disease progression and symptom management, however evidence on nutrition prescription is limited. Recent international CKD guidelines and literature was reviewed to address the following question "What is the appropriate nutrition prescription to achieve positive outcomes in adult patients with chronic kidney disease?" Databases included in the search were Medline and CINAHL using EBSCOhost search engine, Embase and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews published from 2000 to 2009. International guidelines pertaining to nutrition prescription in CKD were also reviewed from 2000 to 2013.

Markers of disease severity are associated with malnutrition in Parkinson's disease.

Objective: In Parkinson's disease (PD), commonly reported risk factors for malnutrition in other populations commonly occur. Few studies have explored which of these factors are of particular importance in malnutrition in PD. The aim was to identify the determinants of nutritional status in people with Parkinson's disease (PWP).

Malnutrition in a sample of community-dwelling people with Parkinson's disease.

Objective: Malnutrition results in poor health outcomes, and people with Parkinson's disease may be more at risk of malnutrition. However, the prevalence of malnutrition in Parkinson's disease is not yet well defined. The aim of this study is to provide an estimate of the extent of malnutrition in community-dwelling people with Parkinson's disease.

Productivity and time use during occupational therapy and nutrition/dietetics clinical education: a cohort study.

Background: Currently in the Australian higher education sector higher productivity from allied health clinical education placements is a contested issue. This paper will report results of a study that investigated output changes associated with occupational therapy and nutrition/dietetics clinical education placements in Queensland, Australia. Supervisors' and students' time use during placements and how this changes for supervisors compared to when students are not present in the workplace is also presented.

Randomised controlled trial of an automated, interactive telephone intervention (TLC Diabetes) to improve type 2 diabetes management: baseline findings and six-month outcomes.

Background: Effective self-management of diabetes is essential for the reduction of diabetes-related complications, as global rates of diabetes escalate.

Methods: Randomised controlled trial. Adults with type 2 diabetes (n = 120), with HbA1c greater than or equal to 7.

Relationships between appetite and quality of life in hemodialysis patients.

The aim of this paper was to investigate the association between appetite and kidney-disease specific quality of life in maintenance hemodialysis patients. Quality of life (QoL) was measured using the kidney disease quality of life survey. Appetite was measured using self-reported categories and a visual analog scale.

Using staffing ratios for workforce planning: evidence on nine allied health professions.

Background: Modern healthcare managers are faced with pressure to deliver effective, efficient services within the context of fixed budget constraints. Managers are required to make decisions regarding the skill mix of the workforce particularly when staffing new services. One measure used to identify numbers and mix of staff in healthcare settings is workforce ratio.

Occupational therapy students' contribution to occasions of service during practice placements in health settings.

Introduction: Currently in the Australian higher education sector, the productivity benefits of occupational therapy clinical education placements are a contested issue. This article will report results of a study that developed a methodology for documenting time use during placements and investigated the productivity changes associated with occupational therapy clinical education placements in Queensland, Australia. Supervisors' and students' time use during placements and how this changed for supervisors compared to pre- and post-placement is also presented.

Prevalence of malnutrition in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review.

Parkinson's disease (PD) patients may be at higher risk of malnutrition because of the symptoms associated with the disease and the side effects of the medication used to manage it. A decline in nutritional status is associated with many adverse outcomes related to health and quality of life. It is not clear, however, to what extent this population is currently affected by malnutrition.