Economic benefit of dietetic-nutritional treatment in the multidisciplinary primary care team.

Economic benefit of dietetic-nutritional treatment in the multidisciplinary primary care team. Nutr Hosp. 2020 Jul 20;: Authors: Casas-Agustench P, Megías-Rangil I, Babio Sánchez N Abstract Chronic diseases and aging are placing an ever increasing burden on healthcare services worldwide. Nutritional counselling is a priority for primary care because it has shown substantial cost savings. This review aims to evaluate the evidence of the cost-effectiveness of nutritional care in primary care provided by health professionals. A literature search was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE between January 2000 and February 2019. The review included thirty-six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews conducted in healthy people and people with obesity, type-2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular risk or malnutrition. All the RCTs and reviews showed that nutritional intervention led by dietitians-nutritionists in people with obesity or cardiovascular risk factors was cost-effective. Dietary interventions led by nurses were cost-effective in people who needed to lose weight but not in people at high cardiovascular risk. Some dietary changes led by a primary care team in people with diabetes were cost-effective. Incorporating dietitians-nutritionists into primary care settings, or increasing their presence, would give people access to the healthcare professionals who are best qualified to carry out nutritional treatment, and may be t...
Source: Nutricion Hospitalaria - Category: Nutrition Authors: Tags: Nutr Hosp Source Type: research