Future doctors may be able to advise their patients on nutrition and food recommendations, according to a study published Monday in JAMA Network Open. Panelists unanimously agreed that doctors should be trained to give nutrition and food recommendations for the prevention and treatment of disease. Nutrition competency is defined as the fundamental knowledge and skills needed for adequate nutrition education.
Hope Barkoukis, a panelist and chair of the Department of Nutrition at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, told The Epoch Times that she believes medical schools will accept the recommendations. “I think the wheel is turning to a greater likelihood that schools will realize the importance of nutrition training beyond the standard, cell-level information,” Barkoukis said. The panelists also recommended that competency in nutrition be included in physician licensing and board certification examinations.
“Physicians have repeatedly acknowledged insufficient training in practical skills to advise patients about food and nutrition,” the panelists said in their consensus statement. Foundational nutritional knowledge, such as the content of foods and dietary sources of nutrients Assessment of patients’ nutritional status via food history, body measuring, and lab testing Knowledge of public health nutrition, including how it reduces disease and how to improve diet by access to healthy food Collaborative support from other health professionals to deliver .