A panel has identified and recommended 36 nutrition competencies that should be included in undergraduate and graduate medical school and training.
The new consensus statement, published Sept. 30 in JAMA Network Open, was created by a panel of 37 medical educators, nutrition scientists, practicing physicians, medical residency directors and registered dietitian nutritionists. They used a broad review of research to determine what nutrition training students and trainees already received — which is "limited or completely absent," the authors said — and should receive. They then prioritized 10 nutrition areas for education. The competencies fall within foundational nutrition knowledge, assessment and diagnosis, communication skills, public health, collaborative support and treatment for specific conditions, and indications for referral.
The top recommendation was to provide "evidence-based, culturally sensitive nutrition and food recommendations to patients for the prevention and treatment of disease."
Ninety-seven percent of the panel also recommended that nutrition competencies be assessed as part of the licensing and board certification exams.