title: Development of a learning-oriented computer assisted instruction designed to improve skills in the clinical assessment of the nutritional status: a pilot evaluation.
abstract: Computer assisted instruction (CAI) is an effective tool for evaluating and training students and professionals. In this article we will present a learning-oriented CAI, which has been developed for students and health professionals to acquire and retain new knowledge through the practice. A two-phase pilot evaluation was conducted, involving 8 nutrition experts and 30 postgraduate students, respectively. In each training session, the software developed guides users in the integral evaluation of a patient's nutritional status and helps them to implement actions. The program includes into the format clinical tools, which can be used to recognize possible patient's needs, to improve the clinical reasoning and to develop professional skills. Among them are assessment questionnaires and evaluation criteria, cardiovascular risk charts, clinical guidelines and photographs of various diseases. This CAI is a complete software package easy to use and versatile, aimed at clinical specialists, medical staff, scientists, educators and clinical students, which can be used as a learning tool. This application constitutes an advanced method for students and health professionals to accomplish nutritional assessments combining theoretical and empirical issues, which can be implemented in their academic curriculum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Physiology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: García de Diego
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Physiology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; CIBERobn, Pathophysiology of Obesity and Nutrition, Institute of Health Carlos III, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cuervo
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Physiology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; CIBERobn, Pathophysiology of Obesity and Nutrition, Institute of Health Carlos III, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J Alfredo
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Martínez
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000379:methods; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011788:Quality of Life