title: Hydration education: developing, piloting and evaluating a hydration education package for general practitioners.
abstract: To (1) assess the hydration knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of doctors; (2) develop an evidence-based training package; and (3) evaluate the impact of the training package.
  
  
  
  Educational intervention with impact evaluation.
  
  
  
  Cambridgeshire, UK.
  
  
  
  General practitioners (GPs (primary care physicians)).
  
  
  
  Hydration and healthcare training.
  
  
  
  Hydration KAP score before and immediately after the training session.
  
  
  
  Knowledge gaps of doctors identified before the teaching were the definition of dehydration, European Food Safety Authority water intake recommendations, water content of the human body and proportion of water from food and drink. A face-to-face teaching package was developed on findings from the KAP survey and literature search. 54 questionnaires were completed before and immediately after two training sessions with GPs. Following the training, total hydration KAP scores increased significantly (p<0.001; median (25th, 75th centiles); 32 (29, 34)). Attendees rated the session as excellent or good (90%) and reported the training was likely to influence their professional practice (100%).
  
  
  
  The training package will continue to be developed and adapted, with increased focus on follow-up strategies as well as integration into medical curricula and standards of practice. However, further research is required in the area of hydration care to allow policymakers to incorporate hydration awareness and care with greater precision in local and national policies.
authors.affiliation: UK Need for Nutrition Education/Innovation Programme in Partnership with the Medical Research Council's Elsie Widdowson Laboratory in Cambridge, and the British Dietetic Association, Cambridge, UK.|Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, University of Ulster, Coleraine, UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McCotter
authors.affiliation: UK Need for Nutrition Education/Innovation Programme in Partnership with the Medical Research Council's Elsie Widdowson Laboratory in Cambridge, and the British Dietetic Association, Cambridge, UK.|Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, University of Ulster, Coleraine, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.affiliation: UK Need for Nutrition Education/Innovation Programme in Partnership with the Medical Research Council's Elsie Widdowson Laboratory in Cambridge, and the British Dietetic Association, Cambridge, UK.|Department of Applied Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Laur
authors.affiliation: UK Need for Nutrition Education/Innovation Programme in Partnership with the Medical Research Council's Elsie Widdowson Laboratory in Cambridge, and the British Dietetic Association, Cambridge, UK.|Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield Hertfordshire, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gandy
authors.affiliation: UK Need for Nutrition Education/Innovation Programme in Partnership with the Medical Research Council's Elsie Widdowson Laboratory in Cambridge, and the British Dietetic Association, Cambridge, UK.|Cambridge University Hospitals and School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fitzpatrick
authors.affiliation: UK Need for Nutrition Education/Innovation Programme in Partnership with the Medical Research Council's Elsie Widdowson Laboratory in Cambridge, and the British Dietetic Association, Cambridge, UK.|Cambridge University Hospitals and School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rajput-Ray
authors.affiliation: UK Need for Nutrition Education/Innovation Programme in Partnership with the Medical Research Council's Elsie Widdowson Laboratory in Cambridge, and the British Dietetic Association, Cambridge, UK.|Cambridge University Hospitals and School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ray
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003681:Dehydration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005260:Female; D005440:Fluid Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000193:education*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012307:Risk Factors; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: MEDICAL EDUCATION & TRAINING; dehydration; general practice; hydration