The dietitian and the nutritional care process

The dietitian translates technical knowledge into practical diet guidelines, 'from the womb to the tomb' (for every stage of life), and for many conditions: diarrhoea, anaemia, fever, TB, ulcers, AIDS, hypertension, cancer, burns, diabetes, kidney and liver disorders, and before and after surgery.

The objectives of diet therapy:

• promote recovery;
• modify diets to control the disease;
• correct deficiencies;
• prevent complications of chronic diseases;
• educate and counsel the patient.

The nutritional care process has four steps: assess the patient's nutritional status; diagnose the nutrition problems; plan and prioritise interventions; monitor and evaluate. Assessment uses the patient's health, diet, personal and medication histories, anthropometric measurements (height, weight and so on) and laboratory data.

Roles in the team: the physician diagnoses the disease and is ultimately responsible for the patient; the dietitian prescribes the diet, makes sure the right food is served, and counsels the patient. The physician relies on the dietitian to carry out the diet.

A good diet plan considers the patient's food habits, ability to chew, swallow and digest, hunger, activity, supplements, culture and religion. Assess, diagnose, plan, monitor.