PEN eNews 2(2) August 2012
PEN eNews is a monthly e-newsletter shared with the global PEN Community and created to help dietitians position themselves as leaders in evidence-based nutrition practice. In addition, users of the PEN System will find articles on the new evidence, resources and features available and how to maximize one's use of PEN.
August 2012 · Volume 2, Issue 2
Highlights from #EBdiet
Did you want to attend the 2012 DC Conference but could not go? This past June, PEN & its followers used the hashtag #EBdiet to share evidence presented at the Dietitians of Canada national conference. In 140 characters or less, we tweeted 71 times, highlighting evidence shared from a diverse array of conference sessions. There was sharing of information and virtual conversations between conference delegates at the same session and those participating virtually. One virtual follower said they were glued to their screen watching the #EBdiet tweets. If you weren’t there, you could participate by retweeting (we had 59 retweets), asking questions and sharing your opinion. Conference reporting with #EBdiet allowed dietitians to share their credible and expert knowledge in real-time. Continue the conversation about evidence-based dietetic practice - follow us @pennutrition.
Kristyn Hall MSc, RD
Editor, PEN eNews
What's New in PEN
As of July 31, PEN has 167 Knowledge Pathways, 1053 Practice Questions and 2297 Tools and Resources! Come and see what we have for you! Here is a list of our updated content in PEN, including updated knowledge pathways, new practice questions, updated practice questions, new professional tools, updated professional tools, and new handouts available:
New Knowledge Pathways
Updated Knowledge Pathways
New Practice Questions
- Are probiotics effective in the reduction of treatment-induced diarrhea in individuals with cancer?
- Should a low iodine diet (e.g. ≤50 μg iodine/day) be recommended for adults with well differentiated thyroid cancer for one to two weeks prior to radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment or scanning?
- Are raspberry ketone supplements safe and effective for weight loss among overweight or obese adults?
- Are herbal therapies (e.g. Ginkgo biloba, ginseng, carnitine, lecithin) effective for preventing or delaying the progression of cognitive decline or dementia?
- What is the evidence that the implementation of school nutrition policies/guidelines improves the nutritional intake of elementary school and high school aged-children?
- What is the evidence that implementation of school nutrition policies/guidelines reduces the prevalence of overweight/obesity among children and youth?
- What are the current treatment and nutrition therapy recommendations for nutritional rickets in Aboriginal children?
- Are there nutritional measures that can help prevent rickets in Canadian infants and children?
- What is known about the physical activity and sedentary lifestyles of preschool children?
Updated Practice Questions
- What are the optimal dietary strategies for the management of cancer treatment-induced diarrhea?
- Do healthy adults who consume moderate amounts of alcohol have a decreased risk of developing dementia?
- Does vitamin B supplementation affect cognitive function and depression?
- What is the effect of soy on the risk of recurrence of breast cancer in humans?
- Is soy safe to take during pregnancy or the preconception period?
- What nutrition measures are effective in treating nutritional rickets in Aboriginal adults?
- What factors impact the nutritional health of children three to five years of age?
New Professional Tools
- Cancer Treatment-Induced Diarrhea Background
- Toddler and Preschool Nutrition Background
- 5 A's of Obesity Management
- UK Dietary Reference Values for Macro and Micronutrients
- Promoting Health - Advocacy for Health Professionals
- Preventing Obesity in Canada's Aboriginal Children: Not Just a matter of eating right and getting active
- International Physical Activity Guidelines Collection
- International Guidelines Collection for the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease
- Sodium Sense and Sugary Drink Sense: Create Your Own Factsheet
Updated Professional Tools
- Cancer - Nutritional Implications of Practice Guidance Summary
- Healthy Weight/Obesity - Pediatrics/Paediatrics Background
- Advocacy/Public Affairs Background
- Healthy Weight/Obesity - Natural Health Products Practice Guidance Summary
- Food Safety - Home Canning Background
- Aboriginal People - Food, Nutrition and Health Practice Guidance Summary
- Food Safety - Pesticides/Herbicides Background
- Dietary Supplements Background
- Diabetes - Dietary Supplements Practice Guidance Summary
- Toddler and Preschool Nutrition Practice Guidance Summary
Third Party Consumer Tools
Between June 15 and July 15, the most popular practice questions accessed by PEN subscribers were those on sports nutrition. Here they are if you haven’t seen them: http://www.pennutrition.com/knowledgepathway.aspx?kpid=8180
How do I... find my way around Pen?
The other day I received a call from a dietitian who was looking for the printed ADA / DC Manual of Clinical Dietetics. Since September 2005 the Manual of Clinical Dietetics has been replaced with PEN – Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition, a dynamic resource that allows readers to receive timely updates to evidence-based dietetic information.
The “P” word… and we don’t mean PEN
Deans have resigned, journalists have been fired and students expelled when it has been discovered that they plagiarized.
Plagiarize: “to take (ideas, writings, etc.) from (another) and pass them off as one’s own”; literary theft (1).
The compelling story behind the Cochrane logo
It is recognized throughout the world and symbolizes the power of systematically pooling and analyzing data from multiple randomized control trials (RCTs). Within the Cochrane logo, lies a powerful story. Many will recognize the forest plot presented between a “C” and an inverse “C” but you may not be aware that the forest plot represents actual data.
Answering practice-based questions: demystifying systematic reviews
Have you ever considered using a systematic literature review to answer some of your practice-based questions? Not sure where to start? We were in the same boat when we agreed to precept a systematic literature review for two dietetic interns from the Northern Ontario Dietetic Internship Program. We used the PEN Writers Guide as a primary resource to help us with this project. Here are three key learnings from our systematic review:
A systematic review is an examination of existing literature that addresses a focused question, includes a comprehensive, pre-planned literature search strategy, appraises the quality of studies, and reports the findings in a systematic manner.
- Select key search terms
- Identify study inclusion and exclusion criteria
- Select databases for searching
- Consider methods of identifying pertinent grey literature (such as reports, unpublished research or thesis)
- Save and record the search strategy and references
- Choose an evidence-grading checklist. We chose the checklist from PEN (PEN Writer's Guide, see Appendix 2) to assess the level of evidence of each study because we wanted a resource that was pertinent to dietitians.
Beth Armour, PDt, MEd, PEN Content Manager
Conference Reporting: Setting up your conference for tweeting
Part I of this article series, Conference reporting in 2012 – the ways they are a changin’! provided guidance on how to use social media professionally for conference reporting. Part II describes social media activity ideas to consider for your next conference.
developing a conference hashtag e.g. #EBdiet or #ICD2012 so that Twitter tweets related to a topic or conference can easily be found during the time of conference. Be sure to promote these in advance so conference delegates and your social media audience know what hashtags to use and follow. Hashtags can be searched in Twitter but unless you have set up an archive system before hand, they are only available for 10 days after their last use. For more information on this, see the article #PHDCHAT – Thoughts on Twitter Methodologies (& an Experiment in Open, Collaborative Paper Writing.- setting up a specific social network page (ex: Facebook event, Pinterest board) for conference registrants. This could facilitate interactions amongst attendees including sharing information about speakers, the venue, things to do and see outside of conference activities. Even people who aren’t at the conference can choose to follow along and see photos and video clips in almost real-time. This page might be set up prior to the conference and continue to be active after the conference. Conference sites can provide up-to-date information on confirmed speakers, program changes, social activities etc. in order to stir up some pre-conference hype. One can add their Facebook feed right to the conference website.
- having a social media session or event at the conference inviting all their social media followers to attend to meet face-to-face and perhaps have a special speaker / presentation
- Facebook might also be used to set up post- conference polls to help provide feedback on speakers and the conference in general
What is a hashtag?
The # symbol, called a hashtag is used to highlight a key word or topic in a tweet (used in Twitter). Clicking on a hash-tagged word in any tweet shows you all other tweets that used the same hashtag. Some popular nutrition hashtags include #RDchat , #RDUK #ICD2012 and #HealthyWtWk Follow #EBdiet for PEN’s knowledge transfer of new evidence at the ICD Conference 2012, September 5 – 8, 2012
Social Media: Dialling into the Digital Age Part II
Highlights of this article have been drawn from the Dietitians Association of Australia’s, ‘Dialling into the digital age: Guidance on social media for DAA members’ resource (2011). Authored by Emma Stirling, and DAA Reference Group members Catherine Saxelby, Zoe Nicholson, Tara Diversi, Sally Johnston, Lisa Simpson, Maree Garside, and Frances Gilham.
- Set up professional platforms for all social media, such as a “professional” Facebook page, in addition to any personal accounts you hold. Your professional platform could be in your full name, a catchy handle like “nutritionguru” or that of your business or practice. Determine the scope of your “dual identities”.
- Keep your professional “brand” consistent across multiple platforms.
- Lock the privacy settings for your personal accounts and consult with an IT expert to ensure these are maintained during social media site upgrades.
- Never share private or personal information about your patients, clients, work or co-workers without consent.
- Ensure that any patient or case study cannot be identified by the sum of information you post online, even if posted in different time periods or on different social media platforms.
- Be choosy when adding geolocator to your updates or using check in tools, like FourSquare or Facebook Places. You may be out at a private event and not wish to be identified. Or you may inadvertently reveal your home address, your children’s school or where you run alone at “6am every Monday morning”.
- Place a disclaimer on your blog or social media accounts about the scope of your nutrition news and tips, so this cannot be misinterpreted as individual health or medical advice.
- Be cautious responding to direct requests for nutrition advice while on social media. It is less risky to refer the follower or friend to a third party resource, than give a professional opinion. You may like to share a link to information on your national dietetic association website or another reputable organisation. And include words like “generally speaking” when answering questions.
- Be proactive and protective of others. Flag to any colleagues steps they may like to take, in order to better maintain professional boundaries and privacy.
"I am always wondering how did they gather this information? What is their bias? What is missing? What is the other side of the story?"
PEN Insider
Spotlight on Jayne Thirsk RD, PhD, FDC, Director of Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition
Director of Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition
A day in my life as PEN Director...
- Biggest learning from taking an evidence-based dietetic practice approach
I find I am more discerning of information as a whole. Whether I am reading the latest research, scanning a blog or listening to a story on the radio, I am always wondering: how did they gather this information? What is their bias? What is missing? What is the other side of the story? I am constantly evaluating what I am reading or hearing and asking myself if this is of sufficient quality to invest my time in.
- What impact does evidence-based practice have on nutrition and dietetics?
- My favourite thing about PEN is…
- What strategies do I use to stay on top of my topic areas?
- How to reach me: Email: jayne.thirsk@dietitians.ca Phone: 403.217.5211
Evidence-based practice vs Evidence-informed practice - What's the difference?
Initially evidence-based practice (EBP) was interpreted to mean using only certain kinds of evidence (RCTs) and applying it in a very strict manner. That definition has been refined over the years and now most EBP definitions include reference to including clinical expertise and other contextual information relevant to the practice situation.
Coming Soon! PEN Practice Toolkits - What we Learned from Focus Group Testing
Want easier access to practice related guidelines and tools? PEN has developed and is currently testing, two practice toolkit prototypes (Cardiovascular Disease and Osteoarthritis) for PEN Knowledge Pathways that will provide easy access to tools and incorporate nutrition care processes for specific conditions and diseases. The goal of the toolkits is to provide essential information on nutrition assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring, as well as link to associated tools and education materials based on nutrition related conditions / diseases (knowledge pathways) that dietitians can readily access and use in their practice.
- that it is in addition to PEN Practice Questions and Background documents. We don't want to lose the comprehensiveness of PEN when we need to get in-depth information and get a topic overview.
- that it provides easy access to essential practice information. This will help us apply PEN Practice Guidance to our practice.
- that International Dietetic Nutrition Terminology (IDNT) will be incorporated into the toolkit. This will help us become familiar with and use the new terminology.
- reference lab values and quick assessment information is provided
- consistent format in the presentation of sections/categories of information
- the addition of detailed nutrition care guidelines to assist new graduates and students
- that most sections are on one page: easy to see, less scrolling.
- having interactive nutrition assessment tools such as forms and calculators, more algorithms
- providing more PEN adaptable client handouts based on client nutrition needs, and different handouts for different literacy levels, while keeping Related Tools and Resources as a separate section
- ensuring that the toolkit is easy to navigate and think about adding coloured icons; collapsible areas – with a + or – sign to get more or see less information; and modifying title page layout so it fits on one page (no scrolling)
- making the access to the IDNT more easily available for quick reference
- adding Apps - for clients and professionals - such as food records and assessment equations.
- work with PEN Information Technology to incorporate 'techy' features
- review content in the two draft prototypes and ensure it is clear, succinct and covers all detail currently in Practice Guidance Summaries, as it will replace them in the future
- complete more toolkit prototypes for other disease and non-disease states
- decide on a name...toolkit just doesn't cut it!
- conduct a third focus group in September to review the revised toolkit prototypes based on above feedback.
Where's the Evidence?
Did you know that six of the top 10 most-accessed Cochrane Reviews are nutrition- or natural health product- related? http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/45333.html Anyone living in the UK can go to http://www.thecochranelibrary.com/view/0/index.html and access all of the reviews free of charge.
Thank you to our PEN volunteers:
United Kingdom
Australia
New Zealand
Canada
Shaping Our Future
"Throughout my dietetic internship I have used PEN on numerous occasions as a quick reference tool when I needed up-to-date information fast! PEN is a trusted source of nutrition information and I feel that it plays an important role in the daily lives of dietitians and clients receiving their care. Knowing that the information comes from a trusted source is reassuring and I am glad to know that as new topics arise, the PEN team is working hard at compiling the practice based evidence and making it available to its subscribers”. Courtney Gillingham BSc, ARAMARK Dietetic Intern
How has PEN influenced your nutrition and dietetic training? Contact us at eNews@pennutrition.com
Knowledge Transfer Events and Resources
Podcast: Reducing the Burden of Obesity: A Role for Nutrition Therapy
Evaluating health information: a tutorial from the National Library of Medicine
International Congress of Dietetics
Follow #EBdiet for PEN’s knowledge transfer of new evidence
Podcast: Hydration Assessments, Tools and Tenuous Patient Situations
Australian Broadcast Childhood Obesity Prevention: What’s The Evidence?
Critical Care e-course
BDA Research Symposium November 30th, 2012, Birmingham, UK
Webinar: Interactive IDNT Webinar Series – no. 2
Know of a knowledge transfer event or resource? Email us at eNews@pennutrition.com
PEN does not have editorial or other control over the contents of the referenced Websites. We are not responsible for the opinions expressed by the author(s) of the knowledge transfer events and do not endorse any product or service.PEN eNews may contain links to other external websites. Dietitians of Canada, The British Dietetic Association, the Dietitians Association of Australia and Dietitians of New Zealand are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such external websites and do not endorse the content, products or services on other websites.
Announcements from PEN
Continuing to be social!
We have invited you to like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter @pennutrition. We now invite you to connect with us on LinkedIn, all of which provide forums to continue the conversation about evidence-based dietetic practice.
Do you access by site license? Want to help your staff access PEN eNews?
Sign up at www.pennutrition.com
Include PEN in your regulatory body continuing education activities this year!
For many Canadian Dietitians, this is the time of year when they are working on their ongoing professional learning plans or competency attestation activities for their provincial colleges. For DAA members, this is the time for maintaining Continuing Professional Development logs. Remember, writing or reviewing PEN content is an accepted learning activity! Reviewing a PEN knowledge pathway for personal learning is also accepted as equivalent to reading a journal article by many. PEN is also pleased to be recognized as a content reference for the Canadian Dietetic Registration Exam. Put PEN in your plan!
UK dietitians, maintain your CPD
Every UK dietitian needs to keep good records of their continuing professional development (CPD) portfolio in preparation for a potential HCPC audit (Health and Care Professionals Council). Did you know that dietitians can add PEN to their CPD portfolio? If you have reviewed pathways, written PEN factsheets or developed your own factsheets for use in the clinical setting, which have been informed by PEN content; these can all be used as proof of CPD for your portfolio. Another way of using PEN in your CPD portfolio is to write reflections (an essential skill for UK dietitians in proving their CPD). How has your practice changed since being informed by the information on PEN. Add PEN in your plan!
Curious about PEN? Sign up for a free 15-day trial subscription!
Want to try before you buy? PEN offers a free 15-day trial membership. This gives potential users the chance to explore PEN and decide whether they would like to sign up for an annual subscription. To sign up for a no-obligation, one-time free 15-day trial, go to www.pennutrition.com and go to the button that says “Begin” beside "Curious about PEN? Start your free 15 day trial today". You will be prompted to register for a PEN account and sign up for a free 15-day trial. You can change the trial to a subscription by clicking on “My Account”.
Coming Next Issue 2(3)
Searching for Answers: Combating Publication Bias What’s the Buzz about Open Access Journals? Dialling into the Digital Age Part III
Contact Us
- keep up-to-date on new content, features and technology available in PEN
- optimize your time spent in PEN
- enhance your skills in critically appraising the literature
- enhance your knowledge of and participation in knowledge transfer
- position yourself as a leader in evidence-based practice
To access current and archived copies of PEN eNews, go to:
Do you have comments, questions or feedback? Please contact us:
Jayne Thirsk RD, PhD, FDC
Director of PEN
jayne.thirsk@dietitians.ca
Sylvia Turner RD, BSc
PEN Project Development Officer/KTP Associate, British Dietetic Association
s.turner@bda.uk.com
Bree Murray BSc ExSc & Nutr, MSc, APD, AN
Professional Services Dietitian,
Dietitians Association of Australia
psd@daa.asn.au
Kristyn Hall RD, MSc
Editor of PEN eNews
eNews@pennutrition.com
August 2012 ·
Volume 2
(2)
A Publication of the PEN System Global Partners,
a collaborative partnership between International Dietetic Associations.
Copyright Dietitians of Canada. All Rights Reserved.