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Current practice in nutrition assessment for the management of Parkinson's disease in A ustralia and C anada
Author(s) -
Sheard Jamie M,
Ash Susan
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
nutrition and dietetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.479
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1747-0080
pISSN - 1446-6368
DOI - 10.1111/1747-0080.12077
Subject(s) - medicine , disease , psychological intervention , clinical practice , clinical nutrition , parkinson's disease , family medicine , identification (biology) , gerontology , nursing , pathology , biology , botany
Aim To document and compare current practice in nutrition assessment of Parkinson's disease by dietitians in A ustralia and C anada in order to identify priority areas for review and development of practice guidelines and direct future research. Methods An online survey was distributed to DAA (Dietitians Association of Australia) members and PEN (Practice‐based Evidence in Nutrition) subscribers through their email newsletters. The survey captured current practice in the phases of the Nutrition Care Plan. The results of the assessment phase are presented here. Results Eighty‐four dietitians responded. Differences in practice existed in the choice of nutrition screening and assessment tools, including appropriate body mass index ranges. Nutrition impact symptoms were commonly assessed, but information about Parkinson's disease medication interactions was not consistently assessed. Conclusions The variation in practice related to the use of screening and assessment methods may result in the identification of different goals for subsequent interventions. Even more practice variation was evident for those items more specific to Parkinson's disease and may be due to the lack of evidence to guide practice. Further research is required to support decisions for nutrition assessment of Parkinson's disease.