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The DI/MS Match: Pairing Dietetic Interns and Medical Students to Promote Interdisciplinary Team Development in Nutrition‐Related Patient Care
Author(s) -
Wang Fling,
Lee Stephanie,
Judd Laura,
Feldman Stephanie,
Salge-Blake Joan,
Lenders Carine,
Gorman Kathy
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.815.16
Subject(s) - referral , medical education , medical home , focus group , medicine , nutrition education , bridge (graph theory) , psychology , family medicine , nursing , primary care , gerontology , marketing , business
BACKGROUND With more Americans suffering from nutrition‐related chronic conditions, physicians have been asked to provide nutrition counseling. However, future physicians need to enhance their knowledge and recognize when to refer their patients to registered dietitians (RDs). OBJECTIVE The Dietetic Intern/Medical Student (DI/MS) Match was created to help bridge the two professions. For the MSs, the intent was to provide personal nutrition counseling and education on the role of RDs and learn when to refer. For the DIs, the intent was to discuss drug‐nutrient interactions and pathways of diseases. These interprofessional interactions foster mutual respect and the creation of a referral network. METHODS Two pilot iterations of this program have been executed with 7–9 DI/MS pairs in each. Both programs had 5 meetings including personal counseling sessions, restaurant visits, grocery store visits, and participant‐led lectures. The first iteration was focused on individual pair interactions while the second iteration had more of a group‐based learning focus. At the end of the program, participants filled out a feedback survey. FUTURE DIRECTION Based on survey feedback, a third iteration is in development to combine both personal counseling and group education with activities focused on improving collaboration and interaction of MSs and DIs in an inpatient setting.