Internal medicine residents' comfort with and frequency of providing dietary counseling to diabetic patients.
BACKGROUND
Resident physicians' preparedness to provide dietary counseling for the rising number of diabetic patients is unclear.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the comfort with, frequency of, and perceived effectiveness of diabetic dietary counseling by internal medicine (IM) residents.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
One hundred eleven IM residents at a single academic institution.


RESULTS
Survey response rate was 94%. Fewer residents (56%) were comfortable with diabetic dietary counseling compared with counseling on symptoms of hypo/hyperglycemia (90%, p < 0.001). Residents less frequently provided diabetic dietary counseling (63%), compared with counseling for medication adherence (87%, p < 0.001). The 28% of residents reporting prior education with chronic disease self-management were more comfortable with diabetic dietary counseling (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.4-7.3, p = 0.006), and reported counseling more frequently, although this difference was not statistically significant (OR 1.8, 95% CI 0.86-3.8, p = 0.12). More frequent counseling was reported by those residents who were more comfortable (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.0-2.2, p = 0.03) or felt more effective (OR 3.6, 95% CI 2.1-6.1, p < 0.001) with their diabetic dietary counseling.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall, IM residents reported low levels of comfort with and frequency of diabetic dietary counseling. However, residents who were more comfortable or who felt more effective with their dietary counseling counseled more frequently.
Tang
Joyce W
JW
Institute for Healthcare Studies, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 750 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. joyce-tang@northwestern.edu
Freed
Benjamin
B
Baker
Timothy
T
Kleczek
Julie
J
Tartaglia
Kimberly
K
Laiteerapong
Neda
N
Press
Valerie G
VG
Schwartz
Mindy
M
Arora
Vineet M
VM
D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000379:methods; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013997:Time Factors
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