Experiences of Dietetic Students Taking Part in an Online Longitudinal Dementia Educational Programme: A Qualitative Study

IF 2.9 3区医学 Q3 NUTRITION & DIETETICS

Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics Pub Date : 2025-05-28 DOI:10.1111/jhn.70069

Santiago Rodriguez Pena, Molly Hebditch, Stephanie Daley, Emily Norris, Cecile Jones, Sube Banerjee, Yvonne Feeney

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction

Dietitians play a key role in the care of people with dementia, yet there is a lack of literature on the education of dietitians in this area. Dietetic students at the University of Surrey undertook the Time for Dementia programme as a mandatory component of their training to improve their knowledge of, and attitudes towards people with dementia. The programme was delivered online due to COVID-19 restrictions. Students met with people with dementia and their carers over a 2-year period. This study aimed to understand the learning experiences of dietetic students in Time for Dementia, and their perceptions of online delivery.

Methods

All dietetic students undertaking the Time for Dementia educational programme during 2020 and 2021 were invited to take part in a qualitative study. Three focus groups were completed with 14 students on completion of a 2 year Time for Dementia programme. A semi-structured topic guide was used to explore students' self-reported learning outcomes, their experiences of online learning, and their learning experiences around dementia. The data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

Three main themes were identified from the data. First, gaining a holistic understanding of the experience of life with dementia, described student learning on the lived experiences and the challenges faced by people with dementia. Second, shaping future practice, adapting approaches for dementia care, concerned the skills and attitudes that students highlighted as valuable for their future careers, and third, optimising learning in an online environment, outlined student's views and recommendations on online dementia education.

Conclusions

Longitudinal contact with people with dementia can improve knowledge about the realities of life with dementia and inform future practice. The positive learning outcomes reported in this study suggest that online contact with families with dementia can be successfully incorporated into the dietetic undergraduate curriculum.

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饮食学生参加在线纵向痴呆症教育计划的经验：一项定性研究

营养师在痴呆症患者的护理中发挥着关键作用，但在这一领域缺乏关于营养师教育的文献。萨里大学（University of Surrey）的饮食专业学生接受了“痴呆症时间”项目，作为他们培训的强制性组成部分，以提高他们对痴呆症患者的知识和态度。由于COVID-19限制，该课程在线提供。在两年的时间里，学生们会见了痴呆症患者及其护理人员。本研究旨在了解“及时为痴呆症”项目中饮食学生的学习经历，以及他们对在线教学的看法。方法对2020年和2021年参加“痴呆症时间”教育项目的所有营养学学生进行定性研究。三个焦点小组有14名学生完成了为期2年的痴呆症时间项目。使用半结构化主题指南来探索学生自我报告的学习成果，他们的在线学习经历以及他们对痴呆症的学习经历。数据分析采用反身性主题分析。结果从数据中确定了三个主要主题。首先，全面了解痴呆症患者的生活经历，描述学生对痴呆症患者生活经历的学习和面临的挑战。第二，塑造未来的实践，调整痴呆症护理方法，关注学生强调的对未来职业有价值的技能和态度，第三，优化在线环境中的学习，概述了学生对在线痴呆症教育的看法和建议。结论与痴呆症患者的纵向接触可以提高对痴呆症患者生活现实的认识，并为未来的实践提供信息。本研究报告的积极学习结果表明，与痴呆症患者家庭的在线联系可以成功地纳入营养学本科课程。

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来源期刊

Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 医学-营养学

CiteScore

5.30

自引率

15.20%

发文量

133

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics is an international peer-reviewed journal publishing papers in applied nutrition and dietetics. Papers are therefore welcomed on: - Clinical nutrition and the practice of therapeutic dietetics - Clinical and professional guidelines - Public health nutrition and nutritional epidemiology - Dietary surveys and dietary assessment methodology - Health promotion and intervention studies and their effectiveness - Obesity, weight control and body composition - Research on psychological determinants of healthy and unhealthy eating behaviour. Focus can for example be on attitudes, brain correlates of food reward processing, social influences, impulsivity, cognitive control, cognitive processes, dieting, psychological treatments. - Appetite, Food intake and nutritional status - Nutrigenomics and molecular nutrition - The journal does not publish animal research The journal is published in an online-only format. No printed issue of this title will be produced but authors will still be able to order offprints of their own articles.