Engagement models impact nutrition care
VIDEO: A contractor model with ad hoc dietitian engagement should be avoided because it’s not conducive to good resident care, says researcher Dr Karly Bartrim.
Being employed and having regular engagement with residents leads to better work and care outcomes for dietitians working in residential aged care, delegates have heard this week.
A contractor approach with ad hoc engagement should be avoided, Dr Karly Bartrim, a dietitian, and a lecturer in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Queensland, told the Australian Association of Gerontology conference in Hobart on Wednesday.
Dr Bartrim shared the findings of her PhD research, which analysed the perceptions of 31 dietitians working in residential aged care to understand the impact employment status and engagement models have on work activities and resident care.
“An ad hoc contractor model is something we don’t recommend purely because it’s not consistent and not conducive to good resident care,” Dr Bartrim told Australian Ageing Agenda at the event.
The key findings of the study published in the Australasian Journal on Ageing in May include:
- being an employee allows for better integration and utilisation in an aged care facility
- contract work creates a scarcity of time
- ad hod work does not meaningfully address nutrition challenges and may not be good for resident care
- regularly scheduled visits support positive outcomes for residents.
The study concluded that regular dietetic engagement is needed to deliver person-centred care and improve residents’ nutrition care.
Here Dr Bartrim discusses the pros and cons of the different approaches:
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