TY - JOUR T1 - Impact of malnutrition management E-Learning module on general practitioners’ Knowledge JF - BJGP Open JO - BJGP Open DO - 10.3399/BJGPO.2022.0111 SP - BJGPO.2022.0111 AU - Aisling A Geraghty AU - Patricia Dominguez Castro AU - Ciara ME Reynolds AU - Sarah Browne AU - Frank Bourke AU - Catriona Bradley AU - Karen Finnigan AU - Sarah Clarke AU - Barbara Clyne AU - Gerard Bury AU - Carla Perrotta AU - Sharon Kennelly AU - Clare Corish Y1 - 2022/11/21 UR - http://bjgpopen.org/content/early/2022/11/21/BJGPO.2022.0111.abstract N2 - Background Malnutrition is under-diagnosed in primary care. General practitioners (GPs) are key healthcare contacts for older adults at risk of protein-energy malnutrition; however, lack of knowledge and confidence in its diagnosis and treatment is often reported.Aim To evaluate the impact of a bespoke online education module on GP malnutrition knowledge and management.Design & setting Six-week pre-post pilot study with 31 GPs in Ireland.Method The module included units on: ‘malnutrition definition, prevalence and latest evidence’, ‘identifying malnutrition in clinical practice’, ‘food-first advice’, ‘reviewing malnutrition’ and ‘oral nutritional supplements’. Participant knowledge was measured using a multiple-choice questionnaire (MCQ) before and after the module (n=31), and 6-weeks following completion (n=11). Case studies assessing identification and management of malnutrition were evaluated by a clinical specialist dietitian with expertise in managing malnutrition. Changes in assessment performance were calculated using paired t-tests. Acceptability was evaluated using a questionnaire.Results Post-training 97.5% of GPs increased MCQ scores from baseline (+25%, P<0.001), with the greatest improvement in ‘identifying malnutrition in clinical practice’ (+47%, P<0.001). Eleven GPs completed the 6-week MCQ with scores remaining significantly higher than baseline (+14%, P=0.005); ‘identifying malnutrition in clinical practice’ remained the most highly scored (+40%, P<0.001). Seventeen GPs completed the case studies; 85% at baseline and 94% post-module correctly calculated malnutrition risk scores. Appropriate malnutrition management improved by 33% after module completion.Conclusion This e-learning module improved malnutrition knowledge, with good short-term retention in a small cohort. Development of online evidence-based nutrition education may improve GP nutrition care. ER -