Increased Productivity and Charting Accuracy for Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at a Nutrition Outpatient Counseling Center

Abstract

This program aims to increase productivity and efficiency among the registered dietitians (RDNs) at the University of Virginia Health’s Nutrition Counseling Center (NCC) through the development and implementation of six chronic condition-specific chart note templates. These templates are designed to help standardize NCC’s documentation process and support the RDNs in their patient care. Initially, a needs assessment was conducted, including data collection methods of a survey and personal interviews with each of the RDNs to better understand the preferences and challenges. Based on these findings, six templates were developed and tailored to specific chronic conditions commonly addressed by NCC. There was a piloted 4-week implementation period when the RDNs used them in their daily assessments. Feedback was gathered after the piloting phase to determine if there were improvements in efficacy and productivity. Final revisions were made to the templates before concluding the program. Overall, this program’s main goal was to improve clinical documentation, reduce charting burdens, and increase productivity for the RDNs at NCC, which simultaneously enhances the quality of patient care. In the future, it will be important to allocate more dedicated time for the RDNs to integrate the templates into their daily workflow. This will provide for a more accurate evaluation of charting time using the new templates and help determine whether it leads to an increase in productivity.