Applying the Nutrition Care Process (NCP) is a critical skill for nutrition and dietetics professionals. The NCP is a roadmap for practice and is instrumental in building evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of nutrition care.
A study was conducted with nutrition and dietetics professionals in Mexico to evaluate the capacity building of an NCP training program delivered in an online format as a viable strategy to scale NCPT implementation in global settings. The NCP digital training was delivered by Spanish-speaking Academy-accredited NCP trainers.
The training improved practitioner knowledge and understanding of the NCP as demonstrated by knowledge testing. Documentation of cases in an electronic NCP template designed to aggregate NCP data was collected and evaluated for NCP quality using the valid NCP QUEST tool. Support was provided throughout the training and documentation phases of the study, and yet participants struggled to apply their knowledge while documenting.
The NCP QUEST audit scores for NCP quality (low mean quality for a subsample) and input from a focus group supported the idea that practitioners will benefit from ongoing NCP implementation support. Comprehensive global training of nutrition and dietetics professionals is essential, as practitioners play an important role in the prevention and management of nutrition-related diseases.
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