Sociodemographic & Practice Profiles of Critical Care Registered Dietitians

Objectives: While a dedicated Registered Dietitian (RD) has been found to significantly improve nutrient provision for critically ill patients, RD’s continue to face a variety of challenges in implementing nutrition support recommendations. This survey aims to characterize the sociodemographic, training and practice profiles of critical care RD’s in the United States and better understand the barriers they face in practice.

Methods: A 58-item quantitative survey was disseminated between October 2022 and January 2023 to eligible critical care RD’s. Data were collected on sociodemographic characteristics, practice behaviors and perceived barriers and facilitators to nutrition support implementation. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and narrative synthesis for open-ended questions.

Results: While the findings from this study indicate an association between critical care RD's holding an advanced certification and having a higher income, no significant association was observed between having an advanced degree and a higher income. Although the majority of RD's retain access to educational resources on critical care nutrition through their employers, they have insufficient work time to review or impliment updated evidence-based recommendations into practice. 

Conclusions: Although the upcoming 2024 requirements stipulate obtaining a graduate degree as a prerequisite for RD licensure, Dietitian reports suggest that an advanced certification is more likely to result in higher compensation. A variety of practice-related barriers exist that prevent RD’s from sourcing and implementing updated research, and must be explored further to improve nutrient delivery to patients.