BACKGROUND: Dietetics preceptors are at risk of abandoning their role because of potential burnout. Identifying factors associated with greater and lesser burnout can help key stakeholders identify and implement strategies to prevent or mitigate burnout in dietetics preceptors.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with the burnout preceptors attribute specifically to the work of precepting.
METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional study design. A survey instrument including burnout measures, precepting measures, and items querying personal and work characteristics was distributed via e-mail to a random sample of 10 000 credentialed nutrition and dietetics practitioners.
UNASSIGNED: Respondents who lived in the United States, were currently practicing, and had precepted during the past year were included in the sample (n = 310). The survey was conducted in October and November of 2022.
METHODS: Precepting-related burnout was measured using scores on the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory; scores ranged from 0 to 100 and higher numbers indicated greater burnout.
METHODS: Factors associated with precepting-related burnout were identified using an analysis of covariance. Pairwise comparisons with Tukey adjustments were done to determine differences across categories for the categorical variable in the model (ie, percent of interns requiring additional coaching). A stepwise variable selection process was performed to determine the best analytic models.
RESULTS: Factors associated with lower precepting-related burnout in dietetics preceptors included higher Commitment to the Preceptor Role scores, lower percentages of interns requiring additional coaching, feeling appreciated by the dietetic interns, and higher Preceptors\' Perceptions of Support scores. A factor associated with higher precepting-related burnout was precepting a greater number of dietetic interns in the past year. For every 1-point change in each variable, the degree of change in precepting-related burnout was -7.9 for Commitment to the Preceptor Role, -3.2 for feeling appreciated by dietetic interns, -4.5 for Preceptors\' Perceptions of Support, and +1.2 for number of dietetic interns per year. The mean ± SE difference in precepting-related burnout scores between preceptors who reported < 10% of dietetic interns requiring additional coaching and those who reported > 50% of dietetic interns requiring additional coaching was -13.7 ± 3.7.
CONCLUSIONS: The factors found to be associated with precepting-related burnout scores in dietetics preceptors are potentially modifiable, suggesting this burnout might be prevented or mitigated to some degree.

BACKGROUND: Systems thinking is recommended, but not required, for teaching food and water system sustainability in nutrition and dietetics education.
OBJECTIVE: This study investigated systems thinking and sustainable, resilient, and healthy food and water systems (SRHFWS) in nutrition and dietetics programs. It examined program directors\' practices, values, attitudes, confidence levels, and the relationships between systems thinking, teaching SRHFWS topics, confidence levels, and years of experience as a dietitian and program director.
METHODS: Conducted in September 2022, the study used a descriptive design with a validated 20-item Systems Thinking Scale and a researcher-designed survey with 1-5 Likert-type scales.
METHODS: The online survey was distributed to 611 Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics program directors, with a 27% (N = 163) response.
METHODS: Descriptive statistics (frequency or mean ± SD) were calculated using Excel. Inferential statistics were examined using R. Analysis of variance was used to compare experience as a registered dietitian nutritionist and experience as a program director to confidence levels in teaching each SRHFWS topic. Linear regression was used determine the relationship between total Systems Thinking Scale score and demographic and programmatic variables.
RESULTS: Seventy-seven percent of program directors scored high on the Systems Thinking Scale (mean score = 65.2 ± 8.4 on a 0 to 80 scale), and more than 85% of directors agreed that including systems thinking in dietetics was important. However, only 32.1% reported teaching systems thinking. Less than half of program directors agreed that systems thinking was adequately addressed in Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics standards, and nearly 80% of program directors agreed there was room to strengthen systems thinking content. Directors neither agreed nor disagreed there are adequate Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics standards addressing SRHFWS and reported SRHFWS topics were inconsistently taught. Confidence levels were lowest for teaching economic and environmental topics. Awareness and use of resources developed by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation was low.
CONCLUSIONS: Integration of systems thinking in nutrition and dietetics education presents promising opportunities to address complexity in the field. Applying systems thinking to teach SRHFWS may narrow the disparity between educators\' perceived importance and program coverage. Enhancing program directors\' awareness and utilization of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation resources and improved alignment between practice standards and accreditation standards may empower program directors to use systems thinking to teach sustainability-related challenges in nutrition and dietetics.

BACKGROUND: Dietetics curricula currently fail to meet the educational needs of the future dietetic workforce to contribute expertise in sustainable, healthy food systems in the settings in which dietitians work. A \'Global Networking Event on Sustainable Food Systems in Nutrition and Dietetics Education\' was held in June 2023 with the goals of building relationships among international stakeholders and informing the development of shared curricula.
METHODS: Plenary lectures, panels and roundtable discussions were held over 2 days, designed to provide the background required to generate informed actions. Topics included recent research from practice and education, competency standards and relevant policy documents, examples from the field, \'big questions\' about scope and student perspectives. Key messages were summarised thematically to inform educators and national dietetics associations.
RESULTS: Fifty-five delegates attended from 11 nations representing education, research, dietetic associations, industry and diverse practice backgrounds. Key priorities identified for educators included co-development of curricular frameworks and pedagogical theory, practical training supports and solutions to limited time and expertise. Key recommendations for national dietetics associations included strategic promotion of sustainable food systems in dietetic roles and practical supports.
CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes are anticipated to stimulate ongoing discussion, collaboration and actions on sustainable food systems education within the dietetics profession leading to shared curricular models and supports.

BACKGROUND: Empathy is fundamental to the provision of efficacious patient-centered health care. Currently, there is no comprehensive synthesis of peer-reviewed empirical research related to empathy in the nutrition and dietetics profession. Understanding empathy in the context of nutrition and dietetics care may lead to improved teaching practices that support nutrition and dietetics students and practitioners to provide high-quality, empathic, patient-centered care.
OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aimed to understand the approaches through which empathy is conceptualized, measured, and taught in the field of nutrition and dietetics.
METHODS: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses-Scoping Reviews Statement and Checklist, a scoping review process was undertaken. Five databases were searched in February 2023: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, Embase, Medline, PsycInfo, and Scopus, with no date limits. Eligible studies were English language-based, peer-reviewed, empirical research exploring or measuring empathy as an outcome in primary data stratified to nutrition and dietetics. Extracted qualitative data were synthesized and analyzed thematically with an inductive, interpretivist approach applied to conceptualize the interrelationship between empathy and dietetic practice. Quantitative data were extracted and summarized in a table.
RESULTS: Twenty-six studies were included in the scoping review. Analysis identified 2 overarching themes underpinning the current literature on empathy in nutrition and dietetics that described empathy as a key skill in the application of patient-centered care, which was supported by approaches to lifelong cultivation of empathy in the nutrition and dietetics profession. A range of tools has measured empathy in nutrition and dietetics students and practitioners with no clear consensus in findings across studies.
CONCLUSIONS: This review identified the extent and nature of empathy within nutrition and dietetics, from both practitioner and patient perspectives, and the vast array of approaches used to teach and quantify empathy in students and practitioners. Insights from this review inform the need for future studies. The results of this review suggest that future research include exploring implications of empathic dietetics care on patient outcomes and identification of best practice, evidence-based curricula and strategies to support sustainable cultivation and maintenance of empathic care across the career span of nutrition and dietetics practitioners.

BACKGROUND: The systems approach has been used to evaluate higher education and explores inputs, transformation process, and outputs of a system that is also influenced by environmental factors such as COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted many college students to different learning modes, changing their university experience. This study evaluated dietetics students\' education experiences and characteristics in the latter period (spring 2022) of the COVID-19 pandemic using the systems approach.
METHODS: Researchers developed and distributed an electronic survey to all 215 US-based Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) directors during March to May 2022 to forward to their students. Researchers calculated descriptive statistics for variables related to inputs, transformation process, and outputs in the systems approach.
RESULTS: Respondents (n = 341) represented 51 DPDs in 31 states in the United States. Overall, DPD students (88.5%) were mostly or very satisfied with their choice of majoring in dietetics. Most (84.0%) planned to earn the RDN credential. Nearly half (46.9%) of DPD students were somewhat or extremely concerned about their readiness to continue their dietetics education path due to the pandemic-related learning conditions. Most students (43.6%) reported dissatisfaction with asynchronous remote instruction in laboratory courses. DPD students\' GPAs remained consistent within the range of 3.75-4.0 from Fall 2019 (43.2%) to Spring 2022 (44.5%). The most important expectations of professors moving forward were to communicate effectively (97.3%), employ cultural humility (93.8%), eliminate discrimination in the classroom (93.6%), provide lecture slides (89.7%), and be flexible and accommodating (88.7%).
CONCLUSIONS: DPD students emerged from COVID-19 with new perspectives and expectations for their university learning experience. Future research should explore the perspectives of DI directors, preceptors, and employers of COVID-19 era DPD graduates.

BACKGROUND: Communication is a core element of dietetic practice, and although communication skills are a prominent feature of dietetic curricula, research suggests a need for more consistent approaches. The evidence on how communication skills are taught and assessed in dietetics has not been synthesised leaving uncertainty about best practice. This scoping review aimed to examine and map the research literature relating to the teaching and assessment of communication skills in dietetics.
METHODS: The review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews. Five electronic databases, two theses databases and eight conference proceedings were systematically searched for research on how communication skills are taught and assessed in dietetics. The search had no geographical or time limits. Studies were independently screened by two authors, summarised thematically using the Kirkpatrick Model and narratively synthesised.
RESULTS: The 45 included studies were organised thematically into three categories: (i) the inclusion of communication skills education in dietetics, suggesting that dietitians have variable experiences; (ii) approaches to teaching communication skills in dietetics, characterised predominantly by a move away from didactic approaches in favour of experiential opportunities for learning such as simulation; and (iii) assessment of communication skills in dietetics, including the use of both dietetic-specific and generic tools.
CONCLUSIONS: The included studies demonstrate that although a variety of teaching strategies are used in the development of communication skills in dietetics, there is potential for more robust evaluation and more diverse approaches to support dietetic educators to prepare the dietetic workforce.

BACKGROUND: Communication skills are a cornerstone of practice for dietitians. The field of dietetics is evolving and there is a need to synthesize the available literature on communication skills to improve the effectiveness of patient consultations and inform practitioner development.
OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aimed to identify the research literature relating to communication skills used in dietetics practice and perceptions and experiences of dietetics students, dietitians, and patients regarding communication skills.
METHODS: This scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and best practice guidance. Five databases (Medline, Embase, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Education Resources Information Center, and PsycInfo), two theses databases, and conference proceedings for 8 dietetics and health professions education associations were systematically searched for research on dietitians\' communication skills. This included skills used in dietitian-patient communication, in communication interactions in different employment contexts, and diverse forms of communication (verbal, written, technological) and the views of dietetics students, dietitians, and patients, regarding communication skills. The search had no geographical or time limits. Studies were independently screened by two authors.
RESULTS: The 70 included studies spanned 45 years and were organized into four thematic categories: importance of communication skills in dietetics practice, development of communication skills, communication skills for dietitian-patient communication, and communication skills for wider dietetics practice. Sixty-five (92.9%) of the studies specifically explored the communication skills used for dietitian-patient consultations, including rapport building, questioning, listening, paraphrasing, and clarifying, whereas skills such as intercultural communication were less researched.
CONCLUSIONS: There is consensus between patients and dietitians regarding the skills that contribute to effective dietitian-patient communication. Areas less explored in the literature include the skills needed for intercultural communication and those needed for science communication. Greater understanding of the communication skills needed for contemporary nutrition and dietetics practice will guide education strategies for the development of dietitians.

To assess change in attitudes toward women who have experienced trauma and to describe interns\' reflections regarding the provision of universal trauma precautions and the training sessions.
Dietetic interns participated in 3 2-hour trauma-informed care (TIC) training sessions. A multiple-methods design was used, incorporating a presurvey and postsurvey to assess change in attitudes and thematic analysis to assess self-reflections.
The attitudes of the interns improved across all statements. Two components measuring attitudes about sympathetic feelings toward mothers with underlying trauma and substance use disorder during pregnancy and retaining custody of their children reached statistical significance (P < 0.05). Four themes were identified in the self-reflections: TIC training was informative, valuable, and warranted, and interns felt comfortable discussing TIC.
Students positively assessed the TIC training and changed their attitudes. Trauma-informed care can be effectively incorporated within dietetics education to support students in developing therapeutic relationships in their future nutrition care standards.

暂无摘要。

Despite clear evidence that accreditation has the potential to shape the future of graduate outcomes and health professions, little research has examined accreditation policy within dietetics and whether it achieves its aims. This study aimed to interpret the purpose and positioning of dietetic accreditation standards internationally.
This study drew on Yanow\'s interpretive policy analysis approach. Countries with similar dietetics education and accreditation systems were selected for inclusion in this study, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. A purposive sample of participants involved in the accreditation process were identified and invited to participate in semistructured interviews. Accreditation standards from all countries were collected. Coding of text for purpose and meaning was undertaken. Codes were then grouped into categories and then themes, in line with the interpretive policy analysis approach that aims to seek meaning from the policy and identify conflicts.
A total of 8 interviews and 11 accreditation standard documents were analysed from across the five countries. The analysis of data showed that the purpose of accreditation was protecting public safety by producing safe and effective dietetic graduates and supporting universities to achieve this. Focusing on input- versus outcome-based education was a key conflict.
There is a unified purpose of accreditation internationally which may support global mobility of the dietetics workforce. Focusing more on outcome-based standards may support the development of dietetics graduates better equipped to meet future needs.