Preface
General:
In this reference you will find information indicating when a doctor should refer a patient to a dietician: the diseases for which referral is advisable and the appropriate time to refer a patient. It also states what information the dietician needs from the doctor in order to provide effective dietary advice, as well as the aims of the diet, the characteristics of the diet and the treatment time required. Information is also provided on the dietician’s working methods. The descriptions apply to adults and children, unless stated otherwise.
The Doctor’s Reference Guide to Dietetics in book form is specifically intended for doctors. The information may be accessed by everyone on the updated www.artsenwijzer.info website. The texts in the booklet and on the website were written with the help of networks of dieticians who have specialized expertise in the particular area being covered.
Some salient changes in this new edition are:
- New disease profiles:
- Bariatric Surgery – preoperative
- Bariatric Surgery – postoperative
- Short Bowel Syndrome
- Nutritional Issues During Pregnancy
- Revisions within disease profiles:
- Since the health conditions listed in the previous edition under “Neurological Conditions” did not all belong under that heading, it was decided that in this edition the information would be divided up, with one protocol for “Neurological Conditions” and a new one for “Neuromuscular Conditions.”
- Different nomenclature:
- “Intermaxillary Fixation” is the new name for the “Wired Jaw” protocol.
- “Diarrhea in Toddlers” is the new name for “Chronic Unspecific Diarrhea at Toddler Age” protocol.
- “Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)” is the new name for the “Renal Insufficiency” protocols.
Insofar as possible, the terminology in The Doctor’s Reference Guide to Dietetics is based on the Classification and Code Lists for Dietetics1 [Classificatie en Codelijsten voor de Diëtetiek1].
Information on sections:
Best time to refer to the dietician:
The best time to refer to the dietician is usually following diagnosis. Preventive referral may be advisable when the patient has an elevated risk of developing a particular disorder, or prior to treatments that could have an effect on food intake.
Relevant information for the dietician
“Relevant information for the dietician” refers to the information the dietician needs in order to effectively treat the patient. For instance, laboratory results can provide insight into the disease, the effect of the diet and the patient’s compliance with the diet. Medications the patient is taking can influence what dietary advice should be given, and can impact the diet’s effectiveness.
Characteristics of the diet
The “Characteristics of the diet” section provides information on the main features of the treatment and the diet prescribed.
Treatment time
See under “Dietician’s working methods.”
Specific remarks
One aspect covered in this section is whether a treatment should be handled in a multidisciplinary team. This section also indicates if certain views on the treatment have changed over time, or significant new developments are currently underway for the particular disease profile.
1 Lie E, Heerkens YF. Classificatie en Codelijsten voor de Diëtetiek. Amersfoort: Nederlands Paramedisch Instituut/NPi; 2003 (revision expected in June 2010)
