Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2023
Abstract
More information is needed about the impact of outpatient nutrition care from a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) on patient outcomes. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of a cohort study design to evaluate impact of RDN nutrition care on patient outcomes, describe clinic malnutrition screening practices, and estimate statistical parameters for a larger study. Seventy-seven patients with lung, esophageal, colon, rectal, or pancreatic cancer from six facilities were included (41 received RDN care and 36 did not). RDN nutrition care was prospectively documented for six months and documented emergency room visits, unplanned hospitalizations and treatment changes were retrospectively abstracted from medical records. Most facilities used the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) to determine malnutrition risk. Patients receiving RDN care had, on average, five, half hour visits and had more severe disease and higher initial malnutrition risk, although this varied across sites. Documented medical and treatment outcomes were relatively rare and similar between groups. Estimated sample size requirements varied from 113 to 5856, depending on tumor type and outcome, and intracluster correlation coefficients (ICCs) ranged from 0 to 0.47. Overall, the methods used in this study are feasible but an interventional or implementation design might be advantageous for a larger study.
Publisher
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Publication Title
Nutrition and cancer
ISSN
1532-7914
Volume
75
Issue
3
First Page
923
Last Page
936
DOI
10.1080/01635581.2023.2170431
Recommended Citation
Guest DD, Cox T, Voss AC, Kelley K, Ma X, Nguyen A, McMillen K, Williams V, Lee JA, Petersen J, Lenning K, Yakes Jimenez E. Assessing Impact of Nutrition Care by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists on Patient Medical and Treatment Outcomes in Outpatient Cancer Clinics: A Cohort Feasibility Study. Nutr Cancer. 2023;75(3):923-936. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2023.2170431. Epub 2023 Jan 24. PMID: 36691979; PMCID: PMC10029747.