Teaching nutrition to patients? Keep these 6 factors in mind

For healthcare chefs and dietitians, reaching out and connecting with the community is an important, people-oriented part of their responsibilities. Jeffery Klova, executive chef at Temple University Hospital, and Michele Ondeck, MS, RD, LDN, manager of the clinical nutrition department and nutrition information system coordinator, begin planning their patient culinary classes with conversations with the doctors who have treated the patients.

That impact can be fleeting—just another part of follow-up care for heart transplant, cancer or diabetes patients—or, when done right, the nutrition classes can lead to meaningful changes that make a real difference in the patients’ lives.

Here are six factors that should always be considered when developing a program like this.