Survey Reveals Doctors want More Nutritional Training to Aid Patients

Survey Reveals Doctors want More Nutritional Training to Aid PatientsA recent survey of family physicians conducted by the California Table Grape Commission, Fresno, CA, has shown that three out of four doctors believe the nutrition training they received in medical school was less than adequate. Nearly all the doctors (97%) in the survey of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) membership felt it was at least somewhat if not mostly their responsibility to provide dietary and nutritional counseling to patients. Yet, only two out of 10 doctors felt very informed counseling patients. The majority believed they were only somewhat informed.
At a time when research shows diet can impact American health issues, 96% of doctors surveyed indicated an interest in learning more about nutrition to advise their patients. Recognizing that doctors want to provide accurate counsel to their patients, Delia Hammock, MS, RD, nutrition director, Good Housekeeping Research Institute, said, “With the increase of diseases such as diabetes and obesity, it’s important for doctors to be confident in making dietary recommendations because something as simple as changing a snack pattern can make a big difference in overall health.”