Smartphone apps and the nutrition care process: Current perspectives and future considerations

Abstract

Objective: To provide dietitians with practical guidance on incorporating smartphone applications (apps) in the nutrition care process (NCP) to optimize patient education and counseling.

Methods: The current evidence-base for mobile health (mHealth) apps was searched using PubMed and Google Scholar. Where and how apps could be implemented by dietitians across the four steps of the NCP is discussed.

Results: With functionality to automatically convert patient dietary records into nutrient components, nutrition assessment can be streamlined using nutrition apps, allowing more time for dietitians to deliver education and nutrition counseling. Dietitians could prescribe apps to provide patients with education on nutrition skills and in counseling for better adherence to behavior change. Improved patient-provider communication is also made possible through the opportunity for real-time monitoring and evaluation of patient progress via apps. A practical framework termed the 'Mobile Nutrition Care Process Grid' provides dietitians with best-practice guidance on how to use apps.

Conclusions: Including apps into dietetic practice could enhance the efficiency and quality of nutrition care and counseling delivered by dietitians.

Practice implications: Apps should be considered an adjunct to enable dietetic counseling and care, rather than to replace the expertise, social support and accountability provided by dietitians.

Keywords: Apps; Counseling; Dietetics; Education; Nutrition care process; mHealth.