Diaetologist

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Diaetologist is a legally regulated health profession in Austria and is one of the higher medical-technical services (MTD). Diaetologists complete a three-year course at a university of applied sciences in Vienna , St. Pölten , Bad Gleichenberg , Linz or Innsbruck and after completing their studies and being entered in the health professions register , diaetologists receive a professional license. Associated with it are u. a. Compliance with professional obligations such as confidentiality obligations, obligations for ongoing training and further education, compliance with scientific, evidence-based therapies and the obligation to document. In contrast to many other nutrition professions, along with doctors, diaetologists are the only professional group who, according to the law, are allowed to treat and advise sick and suspected persons with nutritional therapy or diaetology. If a medical diagnosis is available, a doctor's prescription or referral is required. Diaetologists are responsible for implementing the medically prescribed nutritional therapy. The job title "Diaetologist" is regulated by law and may only be used after completing the three-year training. The corresponding designation in Germany is dietician , in Switzerland a qualified nutritional advisor HF / FH .

Definition of diaetology / dietetics

Diaetology reflects scientific knowledge of relevant related sciences (e.g. medicine , nutritional science , psychology , sociology ) and generates new scientific knowledge. It includes diaetological assessment, diaetological diagnosis, diaetological goal setting, diaetological intervention and monitoring as well as outcome evaluation. Its main goal is individual diaetological intervention to prevent or treat disease-related disorders and thus improve or maintain the quality of life. Diaetology is thus the study of various forms of nutrition and diet and is the main area of ​​responsibility of diaetologists.

In contrast to dietetics : The main goal of dietetics is individual diet advice or nutritional interventions in order to prevent or treat disease-related disorders or to maintain or improve the quality of life and the treatment of specific nutritional deficiencies. Dietetics includes nutritional history and advice with or without nutritional intervention to improve the nutritional situation in the case of nutrition-dependent diseases.

Professional history of Austria

On March 13, 1930 , the first Austrian diet school was opened at the Lainz Hospital at the newly established “Special Department for Metabolic and Nutritional Disorders and for Dietetic Healing Methods” under the direction of Carl von Noorden . At that time, Carl von Noorden was called by Julius Tandler from Germany to Vienna to set up this department. The heart of this department was the diet kitchen, where diet meals were prepared for the patients. Within six years, around 150 diet students were trained as dieticians in one to one and a half year courses, which were then in great demand at home and abroad. As a result of the political events in 1938 , the German Reich Law was applied, the training was extended to two years and the professional title “dietician” was recognized by the state.

On March 22nd, 1961 , there was a new regulation of the admission and training regulations in the Nursing Act and the training of the med.-techn. Services (Federal Law Gazette No. 102/1961) . The Nursing Act was revised in 1967 , 1969 , 1970 and 1973 and supplemented by the training and examination regulations for medical-technical services according to the ordinance of June 20, 1974 (Federal Law Gazette No. 560/1974). On July 31, 1992 , after 15 years of negotiations, a separate professional and training law was passed for the group of high-level medical-technical services (Federal Law Gazette No. 460/1992). With this law, important milestones were set in the further development of the profession, such as training at academies and the adaptation of the professional title to qualified dietitians and nutritional medical consultants .

On July 5, 2005 , the next major amendment to the law came into force. With this amendment, the possibility was created to complete the training at a technical college with the academic degree "Bachelor of Science in Health Studies" . In addition, the job title was changed to diaetologist . In January 2006 the training ordinance for the technical college courses will be published. The universities of applied sciences in Lower Austria , Styria and Salzburg submit applications for MTD technical college courses to the technical college council .

job profile

The professional profile of diaetologists as well as professional rights and obligations are anchored in the Federal Act on Higher Medical-Technical Services (MTD Act, Federal Law Gazette No. 460/1992 as amended):

"The diet service and nutritional medical advisory service includes the independent selection, compilation and calculation as well as the instruction and supervision of the preparation of special forms of food for the nutrition of sick or suspicious persons according to a doctor's order, including advising the sick or their relatives on the practical implementation of medical diet prescriptions inside and outside a Hospital; without a doctor's prescription, the selection, compilation and calculation of food for healthy people and groups of people or people and groups of people under particular stress (e.g. pregnancy, sport), including advice on nutrition for these groups of people. "

At the European level, the profession is defined by the EFAD (European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians) as follows:

“The diaetologist is a state-certified person who is trained in the subjects of nutritional science and dietetics. She applies her nutritional knowledge to ensure a healthy diet for individuals or groups in a state of health or illness or to teach those entrusted to her about healthy eating habits. The professional framework in which dietetics is practiced is different: The diaetologist works in different professional settings and fulfills different tasks in their work. "

The diaetological competencies can be divided into the following areas:

  • Basic knowledge
  • Social communication skills and personal skills
  • Implementation of the diaetological process and clinical reasoning
  • Personal responsibility and quality assurance
  • Evidence-based diaetological practice
  • Scientific skills

Professional rights and obligations

Anyone who is entitled to the professional exercise of a certain high-level medical-technical service regulated in this federal law is entitled

  1. is capable of acting in all matters relating to the exercise of the profession,
  2. has the necessary health suitability and trustworthiness for the fulfillment of professional duties,
  3. successfully completed an apprenticeship at a medical-technical academy for the corresponding high-level medical-technical service and successfully passed the diploma examination before a committee and was awarded a diploma for this,
  4. has the language skills required to practice and
  5. is entered in the health professions register in accordance with the Health Professions Register Act (GBRG), Federal Law Gazette I No. 87/2016 .

Registration

In the interests of patient safety and quality assurance, all occupational groups in the health and nursing professions as well as the high-level medical-technical services have been obliged to register in the health professions register (GBRG), Federal Law Gazette No. 87/2016, since July 1, 2018 . This registration is a prerequisite for being allowed to work as a diaetologist and thus forms another distinguishing feature to other professions in the nutrition sector.

Professional duties

Diaetologists are subject to the following professional duties, which are stipulated in the MTD Act, Federal Law Gazette No. 460/1992 under Section 11. They are obliged to exercise their profession conscientiously, regardless of person, and have to protect the well-being and health of the patients in compliance with the applicable regulations and in accordance with technical and scientific knowledge and experience.

education

Vocational training in Austria has been taking place at universities of applied sciences since 2005 in the form of a diaetology degree, which is completed with the academic degree Bachelor of Science in Health Studies . The training comprises six semesters and the acquisition of 180 ECTs points . Upon successful completion of the degree, you have the prerequisites for the professional qualification and the legally defined professional title. The admission requirements from general requirements for Bacherlorstudiengänge (general university entrance qualification, Berufsreifeprüfung , university entrance examination or relevant relevant professional qualification). In addition, the professional suitability must be guaranteed (e.g. health suitability).

The training is currently taking place at five universities of applied sciences in Austria: Vienna, Bad Gleichenberg, Innsbruck, St. Pölten and Linz. A different number of study places are available per location. Following the bachelor’s degree, you can pursue a master’s degree as well as a doctoral or PhD degree . For graduates of the nutritional science course, there is the possibility of completing an advanced course in applied nutritional therapy and thus obtaining the formal requirements for a professional qualification in the field of diaetology. This course comprises 60 ECTs; after successfully completing the course, graduates can be admitted to the bachelor's examination in the Diaetology course.

The technical-methodical, social-communicative and scientific competences of the students to be acquired are regulated in the FH-MTD-Training Ordinance (FH-MTD-AV) Federal Law Gazette II No. 2/2006. The training content includes a. following areas:

The training takes place both theoretically and practically . Of the total of 180 ECTS, 45 ECTS must be completed in the form of practical training. A large number of internships are completed in hospitals . Further internships are possible in other institutions of the health and social services as well as in the context of science and research or in industry . The practical training must cover the areas of acute medicine, long-term medicine and rehabilitation as well as health promotion and prevention . According to the FH-AV-MTD, at least ten diaetological processes must be carried out in the compulsory areas.

Areas of activity

Diaetologists work either in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, geriatric facilities, outpatient clinics , medical practices , pharmacies , communal catering facilities , health hotels, as well as in the food, pharmaceutical and media industries and / or as a freelancer .

The most common clinical pictures in which diaetologists are involved in the treatment are:

In addition, diaetologists are active in health promotion and primary prevention in the following areas:

The Association of Diaetologists in Austria

The Association of Diaetologists in Austria was founded in 1961 and is the official and recognized professional representation of diaetologists in Austria. The independent professional association represents the professional group in all professionally relevant matters and actively pursues professional policy. In this context, the association has developed into an important partner in the healthcare sector and is represented in many important committees and organizations. The association is a member of the umbrella organization of the upscale medical-technical services in Austria, MTD Austria . The Association of Diaetologists is also represented at European and international level. There is an intensive exchange and cooperation with the Federal Association of Dieticians in Germany and the Swiss Association of Certified Nutritionists HF / FH . In Europe, the association is a member of EFAD (European Federation of Dietitians Associations) and ICDA (International Confederation of Dietitans Associations) .

As professional and interest representation, u. a. performed the following tasks:

Member service:

  • Information and support with job-specific and legal issues
  • Job-specific further and advanced training
  • Member magazine "DIAETOLOGEN Journal"
  • Job Market
  • Professional exchange in various working groups
  • Regular meetings and professional exchange in the national groups
  • Network Freelance
  • Advisory materials, folders, books
  • and much more

MTD-Austria

MTD-Austria is the umbrella organization of the upscale medical-technical services in Austria. The association was founded in 1984 and unites the seven professional associations of the high-level medical-technical services . These include the Austrian Association of Diaetologists, the Austrian Professional Association of Biomedical Analysts, the Federal Association of Occupational Therapists in Austria, the Professional Association of Austrian Speech Therapists, the Association of Orthoptists in Austria, the Federal Association of Physiotherapists in Austria and the Professional Association for Radiological Technology in Austria. The association advocates a joint professional development of the MTD professions and represents the professional groups in public and on a political level. Thus MTD-Austria forms a common interest group in Austria.

EFAD and ICDA

In 1978 the EFAD (European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians) was founded. An umbrella organization that unites all professional associations of diaetologists in Europe. The EFAD belongs to 33 national professional associations (as of 2018), so the association represents 35,000 diaetologists in Europe .

The ICDA (International Confederation of Dietetic Associations) represents the professional associations at international level.

Professional associations in other German-speaking countries

  • Germany: Association of Dieticians
  • Switzerland: Swiss Association of Nutritionists
  • Liechtenstein: Liechtenstein Association of Certified Nutritionists

Job title in different countries

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Health profession in Austria 2019 from the Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (PDF; 2.8 MB)
  2. ↑ a b c d e RIS - MTD Act - Consolidated Federal Law, version dated May 15, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Sommerauer E, Bernhard S. Terms and definitions. In: Gäbler G, Hofbauer A, editors. The Diaetological Process Quality standard for diaetological practice. Vienna: Association of Diaetologists Austria; 2020.
  4. ^ Valentini L, guideline of the German Society for Nutritional Medicine (DGEM), DGEM terminology in clinical nutrition. Guideline of the German Society for Nutritional Medicine (DGEM), DGEM Terminology for Clinical Nutrition, Aktuel Ernahrungsmed. 2013; 38: 97-111.
  5. ↑ Schönbauer - Dibold: The dietician, publishing Göschl, Vienna, 1978
  6. ↑ Barbara Anna Lugmayr et al: Professional profile of the qualified dietician and nutritional medical advisor, ÖBIG, 2003
  7. ↑ a b c RIS - FH-MTD-Training Ordinance - Federal Law Consolidated, version of May 15, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020 .
  8. ↑ European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians European Association of Diaetologists (EFAD): Academic guidelines and professional standards for dietetics in Europe . Berlin June 2005, p. 32 .
  9. ↑ Register of health professions. Retrieved May 19, 2020 .
  10. ↑ a b Dieticians: Q&A. Retrieved May 15, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Vienna
  12. ^ Bad Gleichenberg
  13. ↑ Innsbruck
  14. ↑ St. Pölten
  15. ↑ Linz
  16. ^ A b c dieticians: areas of activity. Retrieved May 15, 2020 .
  17. ^ A b c Dieticians: Organization Association. Retrieved May 15, 2020 .
  18. ↑ biomed austria
  19. ^ Ergotherapy Austria
  20. ↑ logopädieaustria
  21. ↑ orthoptik austria
  22. ^ Physio Austria
  23. ↑ rtaustria
  24. ↑ Professional associations. Retrieved May 15, 2020 .
  25. ↑ Efad | About EFAD. Retrieved May 15, 2020 .
  26. ↑ International Confederation of Dietetic Associations: About ICDA. Retrieved May 15, 2020 .
  27. ^ Association of Dieticians
  28. ↑ Swiss Association of Nutritionists
  29. ^ Liechtenstein Association of Dipl. Nutritionists