Efad newsletter september 2014

www.efad.org

EFAD Newsletter September 2014

European

Dietitians

President's Message: What's next?

This is my last message as Honorary President of EFAD. After four years, my term of office is coming to an end. It has been a glorious time in which I have had the privilege of serving the profession in Europe and advocating on its behalf worldwide. Internationally, dietitians look at the progress we are making in Europe and are impressed. For three of the four years, EFAD was lead partner in the EU-funded DIETS2 thematic network project. EFAD has now taken forward the legacy of this project in education, professional development and research for continued progress in advancing the profession.

One development that I am particularly proud of has been the creation of EFAD Associate Membership in Higher Education, which means that those responsible for the training of dietitians are now part of the Federation.

I would like to thank you all for the support, grit and determination that I have seen and enjoyed.

However, this is no time to look back: the ongoing question that the new President will face on a daily basis will be "What's next?". I look forward to meeting many of you in Athens and my best wishes go to my successor.

Anne de Looy, EFAD Honorary President

Anne DIETS-EFAD General Meeting & Conference, Athens, 9-12 October: "Health 2020: Supporting Vulnerable Groups" Register now at: www.efadconference.com

We are pleased to invite you to the 8th DIETS-EFAD General Meeting and Conference, taking place in Athens, Greece on 9-12 October 2014:

“Health 2020: Supporting Vulnerable Groups�

Diederik Aarendonk will deliver the initial keynote address: Social Accountability in Primary Care: How do we take care of vulnerable groups?

Diederik is Coordinator of the European Forum for Primary Care (EFPC) based at NIVEL, the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research.

This conference will explore what the profession can do and how research and education can contribute, to supporting vulnerable groups (the young and the old, those living with chronic disease or in poverty as well as all other disadvantaged groups) using evidencebased practice. This conference will include roundtables and workshops hosted by the European Specialist Dietetic Networks for diabetes, obesity, older adult, public health and food service and by the EFAD Committees on Professional Practice, Education and Lifelong Learning and Research and Evidence-based Practice. We are also delighted to have speakers from WHO, the EC, and the European Nutrition for Health Alliance. There is also a strong student programme (see next page) and the opportunity to present posters.

There will be two closing keynote addresses: Dr Joao Breda (Programme Manager, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, WHO Europe): Priority actions to promote healthy diets in WHO European Region - the importance of the new food and Nutrition Action Plan and Prof Anne de Looy (EFAD President): Health 2020 - an opportunity for dietitians?

The conference is open to all, including practising dietitians, teachers, students and other related stakeholders.

The preliminary programme, registration, travel and accommodation details are on the conference website efadconference.com I am looking forward to meeting you in Athens.

Judith Liddell, EFAD Secretary General

Conference Student Programme: Sustaining the Student Network Last year, students from 10 different countries attended the DIETS-EFAD conference and as EFAD have reduced the registration fee for students, we hope to welcome many students again this year. The specific student programme will offer inspiring sessions and enjoyable social events. Students will also be able to share their work with a large international audience of dietitians by giving a poster presentation and there will be a prize for best student poster. For the first time, we have set up a buddy system to match visiting students with local students to help them with all practical issues and some may even offer private accommodation.

Day 1 will start with an introduction to networking skills. In the afternoon a presentation will be given about working overseas as a dietitian. Afterwards, a guest speaker from an existing international student association will share how they developed and sustained their student network. In the evening, students can enjoy themselves in the heart of the historical centre of Athens, guided by local Greek students.

Day 2 opens with an interactive workshop and the establishment of the student network.

The day will close with an informal dinner in a Greek taverna.

We would like teachers to encourage their students to attend this conference, which fits perfectly within the context of lifelong learning. In addition to the professional benefits, students will discover the charm of beautiful ancient Athens and make international contacts and friendships!

The detailed student programme and all further information can be found under the scientific information section of the conference website: efadconference.com Koen Vanherle, DIETS/EFAD Student Key Contact EFAD General Meeting In Athens The Hellenic Dietetic Association will host the EFAD General Meeting, on Thursday 9 October. Admission to the morning session (09.00 to 12.00) is restricted to delegates of full EFAD Member Associations. The afternoon session will be open to delegates from Affiliate and Education Associate Members and will feature reports from each of the three EFAD committees (Education & Lifelong Learning, Research & Evidence-Based Practice and Professional Practice). There will also be an opportunity to participate in workshops aimed at developing strategic plans for 2016 – 2021. These workshops will cover topics such as: defining dietitian/nutritionist, membership issues, funding, registration, ethics, communication and advocacy planning.

EFAD News Education Associate Members I am delighted to report that EFAD already has 8 new Education Associate Members: • St Pölten University of Applied Sciences, Austria • Thomas More Kempen, Belgium • Erasmushogeschool Brussels, Belgium • Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland • Uppsala University, Sweden • Katholieke Hogeschool Leuven, Belgium • FH JOANNEUM Gesellschaft mbH, Austria • Umea University, Sweden We are processing more applications as I write and new applications are always welcome. This is really good news for the future of dietetic education. Establishing a network of Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) that teach dietitians will lead to: • Increased collaboration between HEIs within Europe • Access to partners for joint research projects • Support in efforts to get dietetic education recognized • Exchange of knowledge, techniques etc • Marketing of courses • Improved relationship and increased cooperation between HEIs and practicing dietitians • Increased opportunities for student and teacher exchanges (including practice placements) • Opportunity to contribute to strategic planning for the dietetic profession • Access to a network of guest speakers who can present information about dietetics in Europe to students and staff • Continued development of the work started in DIETS through active involvement of HEIs in EFAD committees • Support for the Education and Lifelong Learning Committee in monitoring and developing the Academic and Practitioner Standards, Practice Placement Standards, European Dietetic Competences and European Dietetic Advanced Competences • Support for the Research Committee in embedding evidence-based practice • Strengthened advocacy capacity through increased representation of profession Education Associate Members can attend the afternoon session of the EFAD General Meeting where education, strategy and future opportunities will be discussed (9 October). They can also join EFAD committees, working groups, specialist networks and workshops. A workshop for Education Associate Members is included in the EFAD Conference on 12 October.

If your HEI would like to join EFAD please contact secretariat@efad.org Judith Liddell, EFAD Secretary General

EFAD News ESDN Administrative Dietitians Committee: Call for New Members The ESDN (European Specialist Dietetic Network) for administrative dietitians focuses on the broad area of foodservice and the role of the dietitian in that area. Competence in administrative dietetics is needed in order to provide food and meals to vulnerable groups such as patients, othe elderly, people with different kinds of disability and school children. This competence covers a wide range of topics including culinary nutrition, dietetics, food safety, food science and the sociology of food and nutrition, as well as a respect for autonomy, ethical factors and sustainability, leadership and financial accountability. This complex area of competence and the task of providing food and meals to vulnerable groups is the role of the administrative dietitian, as in EFAD’s definition: a dietitian who focuses and works primarily within food service management with responsibility for providing nutritionally adequate, quality food to individuals or groups in health and disease in an institution or a community setting.

EFAD established the ESDN for administrative dietitians in 2013 and it met for a workshop during EFAD’s conference in November that year. We discussed topics such as the name of the ESDN (other suggestions were foodservice or catering), the need to promote the role of the administrative dietitian and to produce a position paper as well as the need for research and evidence-based practice in the area of foodservice. To undertake this work, the current committee comprises: Ylva Mattsson Sydner Administrative Dietitian, Associate Professor, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, Uppsala University, Sweden.

(Leader of ESDN Administrative Dietitians) Heida Björg Hilmisdóttir Administrative Dietitian, MSc Food and Nutrition, MBA, Director of Food and Nutrition Service, Landspitali University Hospital, Iceland

Helena Ávila Nutritionist, MSc Consumer Science, Food & Nutrition, Director of Quality, Uniself SA, Portugal The committee will begin their work by establishing the ESDN deliverables and hosting a roundtable and workshop at the EFAD conference in Athens. We hope many participants with an interest in foodservice and administrative dietetics will attend our sessions. Moreover we hope for fruitful discussions – and we also hope that new members will join the ESDN administrative committee! If you are interested in joining this committee or you have a colleague to nominate, please contact me: Ylva.Mattsson.Sydner@ikv.uu.se

EFAD News ESDN Public Health Report for 2014

Evolution of the Student e-journal

In 2014, the ESDN Public Health directed its activities towards establishing mutual connections and the exchange of publications dealing with dietetics in the public health sector. To this end, I visited Brussels for the Livewell workshop and networked with European stakeholders together with the EFAD Secretary General.

The “DIETS student e-journal” is a peerreviewed electronic journal in English that was originally launched within the DIETS2 Thematic Network. When the DIETS2 project ended, the e-journal became the responsibility of EFAD’s Research and Evidence-Based Practice Committee (REBPC). The main goal of the journal is to allow communication between students in dietetics across Europe, by giving them the opportunity to present and share their scientific and research activities. In addition, the e-journal aims at encouraging students to become more reflective and critical of their own research skills and that of their peers and to facilitate potential collaboration between Higher Education Institutions.

In June the selection of the ESDN committee members took place. We are currently preparing a roundtable and a workshop for the DIETS-EFAD conference in Athens. We are establishing priorities based on the needs of members through regular online meetings and a physical meeting that will take place in Athens.

In 2014 we will develop a communication and dissemination plan (including social media) to effectively exchange information and share relevant policy and guidelines related to public health and nutrition policy issues. We will appoint a member of the committee to take responsibility for this important plan.

We plan to set up a database that will include dietitians and other groups interested in public health, eg Nutrition Society, FENS, EPHA, ENHA with open channels of communication and thereby develop collaborations. The database will enable mutual communication and exchanges of knowledge and experiences between dietitians who are based in various environments and different groups of professionals working in the field.

We also plan to establish a system that will enable the prompt collection and exchange of significant political documents dealing with national and European sectors of public health and dietetics.

Grigoris Risvas Lead, ESDN Public Health

The e-journal covers many scientific areas relevant to the field of dietetics and nutrition, has an editorial board and a thorough evaluation strategy. The e-journal invites submissions in the form of an extended abstract to facilitate submissions from students whose first language is not English.

We aim to publish two issues per year and the next issue is planned for the end of this year. Past issues and all other relevant information can be found here: http://www.efad.org/everyone/4287/5/0/32.

The REBPC is currently investigating the possibility of evolving the journal towards a more mature publication, containing abstracts and full articles from dietitians and students.

Meropi Kontogianni

Member of the REBPC

EFAD News ESDN for Diabetes: Call for Committee Members Diabetes is a condition in which dietitians have considerable influence and impact. All areas of dietetic practice include interaction with people with diabetes. Up to 20% of hospital inpatients have diabetes. Across the European population generally, diabetes affects between 5% and 10% of adults.

Diabetes is a long-term condition that is an area of opportunity and challenge to dietitians.

The ESDN for diabetes has the aim of creating a network of dietitians interested in the practice of dietetics in the management of diabetes as well as developing a wider network with other professionals and groups focused on diabetes care. This year Cathy Breen has stepped down from her role as network lead so that she can focus on her research in diabetes in Ireland, and a note of gratitude needs to be made to acknowledge all her efforts and great work. I have taken over the role of network lead. I have been a diabetes dietitian in the UK, a researcher with a PhD in Diabetes and Endocrinology and I am currently a university teacher with interests in dietetic pedagogy and the management of diabetes and other long-term conditions.

Following our initial call we have been fortunate to recruit to the network committee three very talented and experienced dietitians: • Dr Aimilia Papakonstantinou (Agricultural University of Athens) • Professor Daniela Wewerka-Kreimel (Fachhochschule St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, Austria) • Professor Emel Selma Ozer (Istanbul Bilgi University) We hope to further strengthen the committee in order to develop the workplan for 2015.

At the DIETS-EFAD Conference in Athens we will be working with the local organising committee to deliver a roundtable on the role of macronutrients and meal timing in the management of diabetes along with a workshop aimed at considering the role of dietetics in the management of diabetes. We

hope that you will join us at the conference or as part of the network of dietitians working in diabetes. We aim to further develop the profile of the dietitian in this growing area not only from a practice perspective, but also in the areas of research and strategic decisionmaking at a European level.

If you are interested in being part of the ESDN for Diabetes please contact me:

Dr Duane Mellor duane.mellor@nottingham.ac.uk

Database of Dietitians in Research: Call for Information This year, EFAD created a new Research and Evidence-Based Practice Committee and one of its aims is to compile a database of dietitians across Europe who are engaged in research. The development of this database will allow future collaboration and exchange of knowledge and experience in dietetic research in order to improve our dietetic profession. To develop this database, we need your input.

If you would like to be included in this database as a dietitian engaged in research, please use this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12XDCtqhu wExgr2anCPb2ISHFTRO6kjhGwaETQLsPuk/viewform This will only take a few minutes of your time.

Thank you very much for your cooperation. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Elke Naumann (e.naumann@han.nl).

EFAD News ESDN Older Adults: First Face-to-Face Meeting The ESDN Older Adults is now formed and the network committee will meet in person for the first time at the Athens conference. The other members of the ESDN committee are: Cecilia Morais (Portugal), Elena Moreno Guillamont (Spain), Elizabeth Archer (UK), Grainne Flanagan (Ireland), Harriet JagerWittenaar (The Netherlands), Mar Ruperto (Spain), Marijke Meeusen (Belgium) and Amalia Tsagari (Greece).

High on our agenda will be the need to articulate a vision and mission and define the specific area of geriatric nutrition. We will also identify special interest groups, networks and important stakeholders within the area of geriatric nutrition that we might be able to collaborate with. Later we will need to work on a revision of the relevant EFAD papers on the role of the dietitian in the prevention and management of nutrition-related disease in older adults In June, I attended the EU meeting “Frailty in old age: identifying priorities for an EU policy”. The aim of the meeting was to bring together relevant stakeholders to identify policy actions, recommendations and guidelines for building a coherent EU policy on frailty. All the presentations from the meeting are available at: http://ec.europa.eu/health/ageing/events/ev_ 20140618_en.htm The Joint Research Centre (the European Commission's in-house science service) has started activities in the areas of nutrition, ageing and public health. It has produced a report on the role of nutrition in active and healthy ageing in order to raise awareness the importance of nutrition in ageing, and to encourage more attention is given to diet and nutrition in policymaking to protect our older citizens. The report gave notice of a workshop to which I have been invited: “Feasibility study on dietary recommendations for older adults in the European Union”, 23 - 24 October, Ispra, Italy.

Elisabet Rothenberg, ESDN Lead President of the Swedish Association of Clinical Dietitians

EC News European Forum for Primary Care (EFPC)

In July I had the pleasure of joining an EFPC delegation that was meeting with representatives from the European Commission DG SANCO Health & Consumer Healthcare Systems Unit.

During the meeting we discussed several issues relating to health professionals, such as cross-border working, patient safety, quality of healthcare, recognition of professional qualifications and standardised terminology. These are all topics that EFAD is actively working on at the moment and that are also of interest to the EFPC and its members. Follow-up meetings will follow.

Meanwhile EFAD will again be represented at the EFPC Conference in Barcelona. The conference will focus on issues such as innovation, sustainability, equity, critical thinking and uncertainty. Celia Puig (Association of Dietitians and Nutritionists of Catalonia) and Maria Magnusson (Swedish Clinical Dietetic Association) will host a workshop about disease prevention methods for health services with a focus on unhealthy eating and will also promote the dietetic profession and EFAD. Maria has done a lot of work on inequality in health, while Celia has seven years experience of working in primary care.

We are grateful to both for contributing their time and expertise to this important conference.

Judith Liddell, EFAD Secretary General

EU Drinking Water Policy The EC has launched a public consultation on EU drinking water policy to find out where improvements could be made. The aim of this consultation is to get a better understanding

of citizens’ views on the need and the possible range of actions that could be undertaken in order to improve the supply of high quality drinking water. The results of the consultation will be used as input to decide if and where the EU Drinking Water Directive 98/83/EC might need improvement. The consultation closes on 23 September 2014 For more information, got to: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14710_en.htm

European Consultations and EFAD’s Responses In the past year EFAD has responded to several consultations. In November 2013 we noted an interest in introducing a European Professional Card for dietitians.

In February 2014 EFAD sent detailed information to the consultation and evaluation of the implementation of the Council Recommendation 2009 /C 151/1 on Patient Safety and Quality of Healthcare.

In April 2014 the European Skills Competences Occupations (ESCO) asked EFAD to comment on the occupations and draft definitions for dietitians.

EFAD and the Hellenic Dietetic Association both signed the Granada Declaration for better protection of the health of migrants and ethnic minorities.

In May 2014 the Hellenic Dietetic Association reponded to the EFSA public consultation on the draft Scientific Opinion of the NDA Panel on the essential composition of infant and follow-on formulae.

In September EFAD will respond to the public consultation on the “Future EU Agenda on quality of health care with a special emphasis on patient safety”.

For more information on EFAD's responses, go to: www.efad.org/iextranet/3395

International News Collaboration on the Care Process & Terminology During my involvement with EFAD’s Professional Practice Committee (PPC) I have had the privilege to represent EFAD in an international workgroup on the Nutrition Care Process and Terminology (NCPT) coordinated by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). Why is this collaborative work valuable for every dietitian?

Two major developments have been the introduction of a nutrition care process and terminology originally published by AND in 2003. The NCPT can be a great help to structure documentation and select terminology specific to the care provided by dietitians.

The trend is that patient records will be in electronic form across borders. Several countries in the EU and and many developing countries have become members of IHTSDO (The International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation):

"The purpose of IHTSDO is to develop, maintain, promote and enable the uptake and correct use of its terminology products in health systems, services and products around the world..." www.ihtsdo.org This terminology owned by IHTSDO is called SNOMED CT (an interdisciplinary terminology that incorporates several terminologies). The Academy has been

actively working towards the integration of its NCP Terminology (former IDNT) into SNOMED CT. Due to the international acceptance of SNOMED CT, the dietetic profession needs to work proactively towards contributing terminology that best describes nutritional/dietetic care.

To obtain international input, a workgroup on NCPT was formed by AND in 2012. AND has consistently invited an EFAD representative (PPC Chair) who is knowledgeable on technical matters of terminology as a key stakeholder to participate in technical discussions and decisions involving NCPT and its usability by international dietitians.

This has been a prioritized commitment by EFAD’s PPC, as now about a third of EFAD’s member countries are piloting/implementing NCP and NCPT in their countries. It is therefore significant that EFAD member countries are represented at these meetings.

Translation, cost, interoperability, use of other terminologies in Europe (mainly the ICF-D developed by the Dutch) have been presented by EFAD. The composition of the workshops includes representatives from EFAD, ICDA and the Asian Federation AFDA Workgroup. Consistent participation ensures that EFAD is in a position to influence the decision making involved. There is much more work that lies ahead but this is a very exciting time for EFAD to be at the decisionmaking table!

Constantina Papoutsakis Chair, Professional Practice Committee

Member News Professional Protection for Dietitians in Balearic Pharmacies

Martí Sansaloni, Regional Minister of Health of Balearic Islands Government Manuel Moñino President of Professional Body of Dietitians-Nutritionists of Balearic Islands

EFAD, the General Council of Dietitians-Nutritionists of Spain and the Spanish Foundation of Dietitians-Nutritionists have been important actors in a new step forward for protecting the dietetic profession in Spain.

In June 2013 The Professional Body of Dietitians-Nutritionists of Balearic Islands www.codnib.es asked for help when the Regional Ministry of Health of the Balearic Islands Government announced its intention to allow pharmacists who were not graduates in Human Nutritiin & Dietetics to do the work of registered dietitians. (In Spain the title of Graduate in Human Nutrition and Dietetics is protected by CIN/730/2009 and training in the profession of dietitian-nutritionist is regulated by 44/2003- LOPS).

In its letter to the Regional Minister of Health, EFAD noted that “...it will therefore be of concern to you, if some less well qualified individuals are assuming the title of dietitian when they do not possess the necessary academic and professional competences...”.

After wide coverage to this injustice in the Balearic media and after several unsuccessful meetings, the Regional Government requested a report from the Bar (Legal Service) of the Balearic regional government. The binding report found that “...anyone who provides dietetic treatment or advice in a pharmacy must have the protected title of dietitian-nutritionist” On March 2014, nearly one year later, the Regional Minister of Health, stated that: ...in order to establish a section of nutrition and dietetics at a pharmacy, there must be a dietitian employed there. Pharmacies will be required to apply to us for accreditation of their nutritiondietetic services...the government is committed to creating the professional category of dietitian in the Balearic health system before October. In the short term, all public hospitals will have at least 1 dietitian-nutritionist in the food service.

We sure that these commitments, even they are basics, will give a boost to Balearic registered dietitians, but will also serve to avoid similar situations in other Spanish Regions.

From, Professional Body of Dietitians of Balearic Islands and from all the Spanish dietitians, thank you for the support.

Without the support of all, it would not have been possible.

Member News Pt-Global app for Health Care Professionals Dr Faith Ottery (Global Medical Director, Biologics at Hospira, Chicago), The Hanze University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands and Tizin Mobile have jointly developed the Pt-Global app, which is available in apps stores from 12 June 2014. The multilingual Pt-Global app is aimed at all health care professionals (eg, dietitians, nurses, doctors and others) and enables easy and systematic screening for nutritional risk, nutritional assessment, interventional triaging, and nutritional monitoring before, during and after intervention.

The Pt-Global app is based on the internationally widely-used Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA, Š FD Ottery, 2001, 2006), and is designed for tablet or large screen smartphone.

The Pt-Global app currently targets professional use, with the intent that the patient can complete the patient part independently in the clinical or research setting, with all calculations and recommendations performed by the app’s algorithms. Version 1.0 includes the English and Dutch languages and metric and imperial measures. In the near future, the app will be expanded to include both depth and breadth of language versions. Furthermore, it is the aim to make the patient part of the app downloadable for the patient, offering the opportunity for it to be completed independently by the patient. In the meantime, the official current version of the PG-SGA in available languages can be downloaded from the Pt-Global website (www.pt-global.org).

The Pt-Global website also includes a number of helpful resources for clinicians and patients. The Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Dr. Faith Ottery, and the Dept. of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the University Medical Center Groningen perform scientific research on the PG-SGA and the Pt-Global app within the context of the International Pt-Global Research Consortium.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: the efficacy and efficiency of the Pt-Global app on the health care process and the validity of the PG-SGA and the Pt-Global app in populations with chronic diseases and (frail) older people .

If you are interested to work with us on the PG-SGA and/or Pt-Global app regarding research and/or the translation process, please contact us at info@pt-global.org.

Member News Nutrition Conference of the Austrian Association of Dietitians Current issues concerning gastro-intestinal health were the focus of the Annual Conference of the Austrian Association of Dietitians in Vienna in March. The proposed Health Care Reform in Austria and the role of the dietitian in the health system were also discussed. The conference attracted about 600 participants including numerous guests from medicine and politics. This Annual Conference is the largest regularly scheduled scientific event on nutrition in the country.

In his opening speech, the Austrian Minister of Health, Alois Stoeger stressed the importance of the role of dietitians and nutritionists in the health care system: "It is my wish to improve the nutritional status of the population in Austria. Whenever diseases related to nutrition habits occur, we must ensure that the competence and expertise of dietitians can be brought into action. It is the job of politicians to create the appropriate conditions." The Minister mentioned the increasing lack of clarity amongst consumers in relation to food intolerances; also a conference topic. This is a good example of where the expertise of dietitians and nutritionists could help to bring more objectivity into the discussion and to take away the people's uncertainty.

The Health Care Reform Law (2013) proposed that the amount of inpatient care should be reduced and that outpatient clinics should be expanded. A cost reduction in health care should thus be achieved. A crucial point here is the creation of new outpatient treatment forms. "Here, the dietitian can make a significant contribution," says Professor Hofbauer. "The effectiveness of the increased use of nutritionists and dietitians refers not only to the best possible patient care and efficient implementation of proven effective preventive measures; it also refers to the reduction of health care cost as required by law."

The economic benefits to society, resulting among other things from the elimination of expensive medical therapies are supported by studies in countries such as The Netherlands, The UK and Portugal, where dietitians and other health care professionals are part of medical service teams in primary health-care facilities. Dietitians are an integral part of the multidisciplinary team and undertake a variety of tasks such as nutrition education in schools and kindergarten, training diabetes patients, obesity management and advising sick or elderly people. They also take part in home care services and undertake consultations in the prevention of malnutrition.

“Best Point of Service” in Cooperation with other Health Care Professionals.

All Health Care Professional Groups in Austria (“MTD-Austria”; representing 25,000 Members) support the demand of the federal government for a “Best Point of Service”. "The right performance must occur at the right time and the right place" said Professor Hofbauer. This means that the clients or patients find the lowest-threshold access possible to professional support. "Here at the Conference for Dietitians it is clearly shown in which direction the Health Care Professions is Austria develop," notes Gabriele Jaksch, President of the Austrian Federation of Health Care Professions. "It is about an ever more intense professional training, Life Long Learning as well as identifying and demonstrating the supporting role Health Care Professionals have in the Health Care System. It is clear that these professionals need to be more involved in the new Health Care System as is currently the case".

Trudy Giesinger Delegate of the Austrian Association of Dietitians Andrea Hofbauer President of the Austrian Association of Dietitians

Member News The Congress of Nutrition and Food, organized annually by the Association of Portuguese Nutritionists, is one of the oldest and largest conferences in the field of nutrition and food in Portugal.

The congress in May of this year, under the overall theme "Nutrition for Health", stimulated nutritionists, other professionals and stakeholders to reflect, question, raise awareness and enhance our role as agents of change in healthcare.

Present at the opening session were: • Secretary of State of Food and Agri-food Research, Nuno de Brito • Chairman Nutritionist Council, Alexandra Bento • North Unit of Authority of Food and Safety Director, Margarida Brás • Food and Nutrition Services Director, Fernando Amaral • National Program for the Promotion of Healthy Eating President, Pedro Graça • North Regional Deputy of Education, Aristides Sousa • Food and Agriculture Organization, Hélder Muteia A wide spectrum of subjects was discussed, including food myths, information technology, nutrition in sport and the labeling of food products, among many others of equal importance.

The future of nutrition lies, as the theme of this conference indicated, in paths and journeys, many still unexplored.

Miguel Yeep, Association of Portuguese Nutritionists

Member News Swedish Occupational Qualification Directive: The Response from Dietitians

The Swedish Association of Clinical Dietitians, (DRF) commented on the Swedish Occupational Qualification Directive - The Cumulative Implementation (SOU 2014: 19) by stating that they supported the directive, believing that it would help provide clarity for individuals, authorities and other stakeholders. However, the DRF also criticised the fact that neither the Swedish Association of Professional Scientists nor the DRF were involved in the commission's work. Only a few external stakeholders were invited to comment on the directive, despite the fact that its proposals will have profound implications for many professions, including dietitians.

The DRF stated that it believed that it was very important that the dietetic profession continued to be regulated and strongly urged the Government to involve both the DRF and Swedish Association of Professional Scientists in further work on this directive.

In their response, the DRF stated that their goal was to describe the dietitian’s skills and the reasons why the dietetic profession should continue to be regulated. They also described some dietetic competences and specialties, as well as the education and training that Swedish clinical dietitians undertake and emphasized the importance of these in patient and public safety They concluded by stating that since dietitians have an independent responsibility for nutritional treatment of patients, continued regulation of the dietetic profession serves as a guarantee for patient, health professionals and other stakeholders that any recommended nutrition therapy is evidence-based.

Jessica Samuelsson Secretary DRF Elisabet Rothenberg Chairman DRF www.drf.nu

Together Through Coexistence

BSVG is a student community that campaigns for the interests of health students and trainees. It aims to enhance the quality of education and professional teamwork between different health professions to foster the well-being of patients. Following the motto “Together Through Coexistence” the association was formed in in Berlin in November 2012 and has currently about 80 members.

BSVG organises workshops, presentations and seminars to exchange knowledge and experiences of students, trainees and practitioners in the German Public Health Sector. In an ageing society with a variety of patient groups and individual states of health, the need for professional upgrading has reached all service areas in the health system. A key activity of BSVG is to focus on the need for an increase in professional teamwork in the provision of health care.

Lydia Knauer Martina Negnal bsvg@hochges.de

Member News

The Swiss Association of Registered Dietitians: EFAD Delegates Past and Present

I started as an EFAD delegate in 1997. I still remember the first meeting in Helsingoer. I was very excited to meet all my colleagues from different countries. Even though I understood the English language, I confess that I didn’t always understand what the discussion was about.

Since then I have attended several conferences and meetings and have learned that EFAD is a very important network for dietitians and I see all the important work that has been done: all the standards and position papers EFAD has developed since then. EFAD set education standards we use in Switzerland. EFAD set ethical standards that we are using in our country. EFAD encouraged a standardised language that we are implementing in Switzerland and much more.

However, now it is time for me to step down as an EFAD Delegate and to pass this role to a younger colleague.

Meetings with colleagues from all over Europe gave me a lot of motivation for my daily Association work. I will keep all of you in mind and am hoping to see some of you at a future conference!

Beatrice Conrad Past President of the Swiss Association of Registered Dietitians Past EFAD Delegate My name is Adrian Rufener – a few weeks ago I got married and changed my name, and I still have some problems remembering my new name! I am a dietitian and work as a lecturer at the University of Applied Science in Berne.

I am also a member of the Board of the Swiss Association of Registered Dietitians. This is where I found several standards and position papers developed by the EFAD. In my opinion, EFAD is an important Network to bring our profession to a higher level. I look forward to help shape this development as a delegate. I hope to meet some of you at the next Meeting and Congress in Athens.

Adrian Rufener EFAD Delegate

People in the News The Netherlands: First Professorship in Clinical Malnutrition & Healthy Ageing

The Hanze University of Applied Sciences (Hanze UAS), Groningen, The Netherlands, has recently appointed Harriët Jager-Wittenaar, PhD, RD, as Professor of Clinical Malnutrition and Healthy Ageing. This Professorship is the first one in The Netherlands that primarily focuses on early recognition and treatment of disease-related malnutrition.

The aim of the Professorship is to bridge knowledge and practice gaps between acute clinical care and public health and to increase healthy life years in patients. Therefore, Harriët's research will focus on the role of physical activity in the nutritional status of patients with chronic diseases and also the relationship between malnutrition and frailty in the elderly. ha.jager@pl.hanze.nl Evidence-based interventions and practical instruments will be developed and validated, in close collaboration with the Living Lab on Clinical Malnutrition, of which Harriët is Program Leader. For example, in collaboration with Dr Faith Ottery, she has recently developed the multilingual PtGlobal app and its supporting website www.pt-global.org (see article in this Newsletter under 'Member News').

Deliverables for this Professorship will be disseminated and scaled up internationally, for example, via the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing in Hanze UAS Faculty of the School of Health Care Studies.

October 8th EFAD/DIETS Conference 9-12 October, Athens, Greece 1st Congress on Food Structure Design 15-17 October, Porto, Portugal FEDN Congress 16-18 October, Valencia, Spain MedicReS World Congress on “Good Medical Research” 16-18 October, New York, USA SCOPE School London - Invitation to Attend 27-28 October, London, UK November Gut Health Summit, Brussels 4 November, Brussels, Belgium European Obesity Forum 26-28 November, Lisbon, Portugal

Employment Opportunities Professor in Clinical Dietetics and Nutrition University of Neubrandenburg, Germany Two positions at the Nestle Research Centre Lausanne, Switzerland Scientific & Regulatory Affairs manager for Personal Care and Food Brussels, Belgium Consultant with very good nutritional knowledge Berlin, Germany Sensory Manager Dublin, Ireland

Courses and Training Opportunities The ILM Level 5 Certificate in Service Improvement Master´s degree in Graz SCOPE School London -'Integrating Primary Care and Commercial Providers into Obesity Management' 27-28 October ILM Level 5 and 7 Leadership & Management Qualifications ENLP Advanced 2015 21st ENLP seminar April 2015 Please submit articles, diary dates etc for the next EFAD newsletter (deadline 15 November) to: Judith Liddell, Secretary General, editor@efad.org

www.efad.org