A proposal for clinical nutrition education for health care university students and professionals in the Amazon.
Changes in nutritional status are related to an increase in morbidity and mortality. It is well established that health care professionals, particularly physicians, lack formal education to recognize nutritional disorders, which malnutrition may worsen in the hospital, and that appropriate education could effectively correct this problem.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the awareness of the health care university students and professionals about the nutrition disorders in Amazon region hospitalized patients before and after a specific education program.


METHODS
An intensive Course on Clinical Nutrition, given in three weekly classes was offered to the multidisciplinary health care students and professionals of the health care tem.


METHODS
195 participants started the course. They were 97 students of nursing, 52 students of medicine, 20 nurses, 15 resident physicians, 3 physicians, 3 dietitians, 2 others, 1 no answer. 165 participants concluded it. Precourse and postcourse tests were answered. The results of these tests are presented in this study.


CONCLUSIONS
76.4% of the participants were graduation students. 40% of participants had no contact with patients yet. When the exposure of the participants of the course to the theme Nutrition was analyzed, 46.7% of the resident physicians considered
Acuña
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Department of Health Sciences. Acre Federal University. UFAC. Brazil. katia.aravena@ac.gov.br
Muniz
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Formiga
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Bastos
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Camilo
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M
Hashimoto
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R
Ney-Oliveira
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Cruz
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Waitzberg
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D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D004501:Education, Medical; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce