Impact of malnutrition management E-Learning module on general practitioners’ Knowledge

BackgroundMalnutrition is under-diagnosed in primary care. General practitioners (GPs) are key healthcare contacts for older adults at risk of protein-energy malnutrition; however, lack of knowledge and confidence in its diagnosis and treatment is often reported.AimTo evaluate the impact of a bespoke online education module on GP malnutrition knowledge and management.Design & settingSix-week pre-post pilot study with 31 GPs in Ireland.MethodThe module included units on: ‘malnutrition definition, prevalence and latest evidence’, ‘identifying malnutrition in clinical practice’, ‘food-first advice’, ‘reviewing malnutrition’ and ‘oral nutritional supplements’. Participant knowledge was measured using a multiple-choice questionnaire (MCQ) before and after the module (n=31), and 6-weeks following completion (n=11). Case studies assessing identification and management of malnutrition were evaluated by a clinical specialist dietitian with expertise in managing malnutrition. Changes in assessment performance were calculated using paired t-tests. Acceptability was evaluated using a questionnaire.ResultsPost-training 97.5% of GPs increased MCQ scores from baseline (+25%,P<0.001), with the greatest improvement in ‘identifying malnutrition in clinical practice’ (+47%,P<0.001). Eleven GPs completed the 6-week MCQ with scores remaining significantly higher than baseline (+14%,P=0.005); ‘identifying malnutrition in clinical practice’ remained the most highly scored (+40%,P<0.001). Seventeen GPs completed the case studies; 85% at baseline and 94% post-module correctly calculated malnutrition risk scores. Appropriate malnutrition management improved by 33% after module completion.ConclusionThis e-learning module improved malnutrition knowledge, with good short-term retention in a small cohort. Development of online evidence-based nutrition education may improve GP nutrition care.