Australian practice nurses’ perceptions of their role and competency to provide nutrition care to patients living with chronic disease

Nutrition is important in the management of chronic disease, and practice nurses in the Australian primary care setting are increasingly providing nutrition care to patients living with chronic disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate practice nurses' perceptions of their role and competency to provide nutrition care to patients living with chronic disease in Australia. Twenty practice nurses currently employed in general practice participated in an individual semi-structured telephone interview. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Practice nurses perceived themselves to be in a prime position to provide opportunistic nutrition care to patients. Participants perceived that the ideal role of a practice nurse is to advocate for nutrition and provide a basic level of nutrition care to patients; however, the interpretation of the term 'basic' varied between participants. Participants perceived that practice nurses are highly trusted and approachable, which they valued as important characteristics for the provision of nutrition care. Barriers to providing nutrition care included time constraints, lack of nutrition knowledge and lack of confidence. Participants were concerned about the availability and accessibility of nutrition education opportunities for practice nurses. The present study has demonstrated that practice nurses perceive themselves as having a significant role in the provision of nutrition care to patients with chronic disease in the Australian primary care setting. Further investigation of strategies to enhance the effectiveness of nutrition care provision by practice nurses is warranted.