Evidence-based practice attitudes and nutrition support guideline knowledge between holders and nonholders of the Certified Nutrition Support Clinician credential

Lea Steiner; Joachim Sackey; Deborah Cohen; Rebecca Brody

doi:10.1002/ncp.11136

Evidence-based practice attitudes and nutrition support guideline knowledge between holders and nonholders of the Certified Nutrition Support Clinician credential

Nutr Clin Pract. 2024 Feb 17. doi: 10.1002/ncp.11136. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Lea Steiner¹, Joachim Sackey¹, Deborah Cohen¹, Rebecca Brody¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Clinical and Preventive Nutrition Sciences, School of Health Professions Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, USA.

PMID: 38366972
DOI: 10.1002/ncp.11136

Abstract

Background: Clinical practice frequently changes, and professionals should stay abreast of evidence-based practice (EBP) guidelines. Negative attitudes towards EBP are a barrier to guideline adoption. This study explored EBP attitudes and knowledge of a complex nutrition support clinical case scenario of individuals holding or not holding the Certified Nutrition Support Clinician (CNSC) credential.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used an online survey sent to American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) members with and without the CNSC credential and all CNSC credential holders from the National Board of Nutrition Support Certification email list. The survey included the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale Score (EBPAS-15) and eight knowledge questions using a nutrition support case scenario. An independent samples t test compared knowledge and EBPAS-15 total scores and subscores between CNSC holders and nonholders. Pearson correlation determined the correlation between knowledge and EBPAS-15 scores.

Results: The response rate was 7.8% (N = 706). CNSC holders (n = 536) had significantly higher mean knowledge scores (4.7 ± 1.6 out of 8) than nonholders (n = 159, 4.1 ± 1.7) (P < 0.001). Total EBPAS-15 scores were not significantly different between CNSC holders (n = 542, 2.9 ± 0.4 out of 4) and nonholders (n = 164, 2.8 ± 0.7) (P = 0.434), and knowledge scores and total EBPAS-15 scores (P = 0.639) or subscores were not significantly correlated.

Conclusions: Regardless of holding the CNSC credential, EBPAS-15 scores indicated respondents had positive EBP attitudes. CNSC holders had significantly higher knowledge scores of recent nutrition support EBP guidelines compared with non-CNSC credential holders. Positive EBP attitudes are a precursor to clinical decision-making, but future research should determine the use of guidelines in clinical practice.

Keywords: certified nutrition support credential; evidence-based practice attitudes; nutrition support; registered dietitian.

Grants and funding

The National Board of Nutrition Support Certification provided funding for this study to offer a raffle as an incentive to participate in the survey