title: Food allergy competencies of dietitians in the United Kingdom, Australia and United States of America.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A knowledgeable and competent dietitian is an integral part of the food allergy multidisciplinary team, contributing to effective diagnosis and management of food allergic disorders. Little is currently known about the food allergy training needs and preferences of dietitians. The purpose of this paper is to measure and compare self-reported food allergy competencies of dietitians based in the UK, Australia and USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey of USA-based paediatric dietitians was developed to measure self-reported proficiency and educational needs in the area of food allergy. The survey was modified slightly and circulated online to paediatric and adult dietitians in the UK and Australia. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations are presented.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 797 dietitians completed the questionnaire. Competency in "developing food challenge protocols" and "managing feeding problems" were rated the poorest overall across all three settings. A higher level of competency was significantly positively associated with length of practice as a dietitian, percentage of caseload composed of patients with food allergy and training in food allergy. The most popular topics for further training were food additives, pharmacological reactions and oral allergy syndrome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a need amongst dietitians to increase their knowledge in different aspects of food allergy diagnosis and management, specifically the areas of developing food challenge protocols and management of feeding problems. This study provides valuable information for designing targeted food allergy education for dietitians.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences & Social Work, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK ; David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre, Isle of Wight, UK.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maslin
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, London, UK.
authors.forename: Rosan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Liane
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Reeves
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences & Social Work, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mackenzie
authors.affiliation: The Allergy Unit at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Swain
authors.affiliation: University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Stuart-Smith
authors.affiliation: The Allergy Unit at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia ; University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Loblay
authors.affiliation: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Groetch
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences & Social Work, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK ; David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre, Isle of Wight, UK.
authors.forename: Carina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Venter
keywords: Competency; Dietitian; Food allergy; Knowledge