Exploring registered dietitians’ contributions and educational needs in primary care: Insights for health leaders

Registered Dietitians (RDs) are essential professionals within Canadian Team-Based Primary Care (TBPC). RDs utilize practice competencies to ensure provision of high-quality care while working closely with other TBPC members. To fill in the gaps in the literature, the study's objective was to explore RDs' perception of their contributions to TBPC settings and their educational needs. This will help inform health leaders who manage interdisciplinary teams. A survey was distributed to Canadian TBPC RDs. They (n = 73) reported contributing to nutrition care for various populations, managing a large range of nutrition problems, and using competencies from multiple practice domains. Furthermore, they identified their need to enhance their knowledge about cultural safety within TBPC, as well as their interdisciplinary teams' need to increase their awareness of the dietetic scope of practice. Identifying RDs' contributions, competencies, and learning needs helps inform Canadian health leaders to improve care.