Dietitians
What does a Dietitian do?
Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) have the qualifications and skills to modify diets and to treat diseases and conditions such as diabetes, overweight and obesity, cancer, heart disease, renal disease, gastro-intestinal diseases and food allergies. Evidence shows that nutrition intervention can significantly improve patient outcomes, resulting in fewer hospital admissions and readmissions, better medical outcomes and improved quality of life. Timely intervention by a dietitian can reduce the risk of developing chronic disease.
Services
Dietitians work in partnership with general practitioners and other allied health professionals to improve patient outcomes. Dietitians may provide advice and treatment when:
- A new diagnosis requires specific dietary modification
- An assessment of a patient's nutritional needs is required
- A patient has a poor understanding of dietary management
Triggers for referring patients to a dietitian include:
- Significant weight change
- Failure to meet nutrition needs
- Recent poor food intake, poor appetite or difficulty preparing of eating food
- Changes in medication
- Periodic review of medical nutrition therapy
Medicare Eligibility
To be eligible to provide services under the Medicare chronic disease management items, a dietitian needs to be an 'Accredited Practising Dietitian' as recognised by the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA). Most private healthcare funds provide rebates for visits to private practice APDs.