Nutrition Education for In-center Hemodialysis Staff on Hidden Sources of Phosphorous

Download or read book Nutrition Education for In-center Hemodialysis Staff on Hidden Sources of Phosphorous written by Lydia M. Safadi and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 63 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Background: Hyperphosphatemia is a serious clinical consequence in dialysis patients, independently associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Phosphorus management is a crucial treatment goal. Phosphorus is increasingly used as a food additive, particularly in processed foods, and food manufacturers are not required to list phosphorus content on food labels. Improving knowledge of nurses and patient care technicians, who have the most contact time with patients, can enable them to convey correct information regarding phosphorus in foods to patients. Objective: Provide a nutrition education in-service to nurses and patient care technicians at a dialysis unit, with the intention of improving their knowledge of phosphorus in foods and their ability to support the dietitian in reinforcing diet education and adherence, ultimately to improve clinical outcomes. Methods/Procedures: The study utilized a quasi-experimental, pre- and post-test design, with a convenience population of direct patient care staff at a dialysis unit. A total of 12 subjects provided complete data. The intervention was a dietitian led in-service which included a video on hidden sources of phosphorus and a handout on food label reading. Results/Conclusions: Results revealed a 37% increase in mean knowledge score and 92% of subjects (n=11) had improved post-test scores; no subjects showed decreased scores. This pilot study demonstrates that a brief nutrition education in-service on hidden sources of phosphorus is effective in improving knowledge of the direct patient care staff members at dialysis unit. Further research is warranted in evaluating the impact of nutrition education delivered by direct patient care staff on patient outcomes.