Accredited Practising Dietitians: your professional nutrition and dietetics partners

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Accredited Practising Dietitians your
professional nutrition and dietetics partners
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What is an Accredited Practising Dietitian ?

• Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs)
• Hold qualifications from an accredited university
  course
• Are members of the Dietitians Association of
  Australia (DAA)
• Keep up to date through ongoing professional
  development
• Commit to uphold the DAA Code of Professional
  Conduct and Code of Ethics
• University courses are accredited by DAA

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Why work with an APD?

• Research shows that good nutrition can
• help to reduce the risk of lifestyle diseases
• such as obesity, type 2 diabetes,
• cardiovascular disease and some types of
• cancer.
• APDs translate the latest scientific research
• into practical dietary advice tailored to
• individual nutritional needs and lifestyles.

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Why work with an APD?

• APDs are nutrition and dietetic experts who can
• work in partnership with medical and nursing
• practitioners to improve patient outcomes.
• Improved nutritional status is associated with
• Reduced
• hospital admissions
• length of stay
• readmissions
• complications
• Improved
• general health and well-being
• management of medical conditions

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What can an APD do for your patients?

• An APD can advise patients on the specific
• nutritional management of chronic health
• conditions such as
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Gastrointestinal disorders
• Cancer
• Food allergy and intolerance
• Physical or mental disability

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How will an APD work with you and your patients?

• The Patient
• Assess nutritional, medial and social status
• Dietary recommendations
• Nutrition education and counselling
• Regular follow-up
• Medical and nursing practitioners
• Regular communication regarding patient progress
• Personal contact regarding specific needs or
  concerns

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APD services

• Participation in care planning and case
  conferences
• Assessment of patient nutritional status and
  requirements
• Medical nutrition therapy for people with
  specific dietary needs
• Education of patients, carers and families on
• Healthy eating guidelines
• Making changes to current eating patterns
• Choosing the right foods when shopping
• Understanding food labels
• Appropriate food preparation methods

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APD services

• Development of educational resources for GPs to
  use with patients
• Health promotion activities in collaboration with
  other allied health professionals, nursing and
  medical staff to promote nutrition issues eg.
  during health weeks such as Heart Week, Diabetes
  week etc.
• Continuing professional development sessions for
  health professionals
• Research collaboration

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Indications for referral

• New diagnosis requiring specific dietary
  modification
• Failure to meet nutrition needs
• Alternative feeding requirements eg.
  Nasogastric/enteral, PEG, TPN
• Patient with poor understanding of dietary
  management
• Significant weight change
• Evidence of recent poor food intake, poor
  appetite or difficulty preparing or eating food
• Texture modified diets

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Indications for referral

• Deterioration of symptoms or change in care needs
• Change in medications prescribed
• Periodic review of medical nutrition therapy

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What to include in a referral to an APD

• Relevant medical history
• Recent biochemical and metabolic test results
• Details of medications currently prescribed
• Completed EPC Program Referral Form for Allied
  Health Services under Medicare if using this
  scheme

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Finding an APD

• Look for the letters APD or the APD logo
• Check the Find an APD section on the DAA
  website www.daa.asn.au
• Search by Division of General Practice
• Search for APDs registered as Medicare providers
• The Find an APD function will be on the Medical
  Observer and MyDr websites
• Call the APD hotline [phone]
• Check the Yellow Pages under Dietitian

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What is the Dietitians Association of Australia?

• Leading nutrition-focused body in Australia
• Professional member association
• Provides member services and continuing
  professional development
• Accredits Australian dietetic training courses
• Manages the assessment of overseas trained
  dietitians
• Publishes Nutrition Dietetics, peer reviewed
  journal
• Works with all sectors to improve the nutrition
  and health of Australians
• www.daa.asn.au

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Smart Eating

• A one stop shop for up-to-date, practical
• and reliable nutrition information
• Nutrition A-Z
• Recipes
• Smart eating tips
• Healthy eating self-assessment
• Website links
• Find an APD
• Study centre
• DAA statements
• www.smarteating.com.au

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