Standards of professional practice: measuring the beliefs and realities of Consultant Dietitians in Health Care Facilities.
A dietetic practice group of the American Dietetic Association (ADA), Consultant Dietitians in Health Care Facilities (CD-HCF), surveyed members (n = 5930) on agreement with the six standards of professional practice and frequency of completing indicators within each standard. Sampling approaches included placing a survey in the publication, The Consultant Dietitian, and disseminating at the following CD-HCF activities: the 1998 business meeting at ADA's Annual Meeting & Exhibition, a multi-state teleconference in December 1998, and conferences held between November 1998 to April 1999. Duplication was monitored using the RD or RD-eligible registration number. The final sample included 553 surveys and represented 10% of the membership. Of the survey responders, 50% were individual consultants and 43% were employees; 88% consulted to facilities providing skilled care (geriatrics/adults) and 48% consulted to intermediate care facilities. With the exception of one, all standards and indicators met acceptance criterion. The standard statement "participation in research to enhance practice" did not attain the validation criterion. Study findings indicated that consulting to a facility conducting nutrition research increased chances of agreement with the research participation standard. The Executive Committee approved all standards, indicators and outcomes as a document defining quality consultation and business services conduct for consultant dietitians in health care facilities.