In May this year, NDR-UK will have reached the ripe-old age of 13! However, we are still a young pup in relation to the initiative created 40+ years ago, when a number of dietitians in Scotland realised that they were duplicating their efforts to research the evidence and prepare diet sheets for patients, and so formed a group with the purpose of collaborating and sharing their information.

The initial concept was focused on distributing content between registered dietitians. Over the years, the processes and arrangements have been refined through various organisational structures, leading to the formation of NDR-UK in 2011.

Fast forward to today, the very basis of collaboration between expert dietitians and avoiding duplication of effort remain fundamental to what we do, but as a wider range of health professionals are call upon to provide advice or guidance on dietary self-management, so NDR-UK materials have evolved to support them.

Where once shared materials were “by dietitians, for dietitians”, we now consider and categorise our patient resources for dietitians or other specialist or general health professionals to use, and some are suitable for patients to pick up and follow without further professional support. As part of our structured development process, all resources are risk-assessed for the appropriateness of use, relative to the complexity of information or health condition:

PiL - Patient Information Leaflet
Enforcement of healthy eating messages for self-management - advice is easily understood requiring no additional explanation. For example: Easing Constipation Through Diet.

HP - Health Professional
Advice requires some explanation from a Health Professional who has basic nutrition knowledge to enable correct implementation. For example: Diet and Diverticular Disease.

SHP - Specialist Health Professional
Advice requires detailed explanation from a Dietitian or other specialist Health Professional with appropriate nutritional knowledge, to enable correct understanding and implementation. For example: Diet and Your Colostomy.

DT - Dietitian Only
Advice is complex, condition specific and requires a Dietitian with knowledge, skills and experience in the condition. For example: Diet and Liver Disease – High Protein, High Energy, Reduced Salt.

By doing this, we ensure that not just dietitians have access to effective patient materials. All health professionals who use them can be assured of the clinical efficacy of advice given.

Looking forward, we plan to use our website to provide supporting information for dietitians and other health professionals to use with their patients, such as the presentation templates already available relating to Coeliac Disease and to complement our Weight Loss You Can See resource. Check them our here!