Streamline Your Work Day With These Resources!

Message from Nancy Collins, PhD, RD, LD/N, FAPWCA

This month I have a cautionary tale for you. For the last few weeks, I have been buried in medical records. Cartons filled with patient charts are arriving at my office at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, each carton represents a family who is suing their loved one’s health care facilities and providers for poor care. The number of lawsuits involving the interwoven issues of malnutrition, dehydration, and poor wound healing is staggering. I work with attorneys to review the medical documentation and determine if the standard of care was breached. While the actual care rendered is often acceptable, the documentation usually is not. Please document carefully and completely.

We have over 30 new handouts and articles for you this month plus many new offers. As always, I hope you find something you can use to streamline your work day so you can spend some extra time with your patients. Please contact me at Nancy@RD411.com with any comments or new ideas. And if you have a few extra minutes, please read my new blog on pain management at www.drnancycollins.com.

Make Snack Time an Opportune Time for Good Nutrition

Because snacks are part of our daily routine, it is important we make snack time an opportune time for good nutrition. And with Kellogg Company’s Snactivate program, it can be an opportune time for family fun, too. Snacktivate gives families the basic information they need for nutritious snacking, plus a dozen creative ways to connect with their kids in the kitchen. Click here to learn more about Snacktivate and download free recipes, available in English and Spanish.

PistachioHealth.com Offers FREE Gifts Baskets

The leading online source of information on the health and nutrition benefits of pistachios, PistachioHealth.com is loaded with fun facts for consumers and the latest nutrition information and other resources for health professionals. Sign up for the quarterly Go Pistachio! Nutrition Newsletter, featuring the latest health-related news about pistachios, and enter to win a FREE pistachio gift basket. Click here to get started.

Cabot Creamery--Making Menu Planning Easier

To complement the healthy eating recommendations you make to patients and clients each day, Cabot's team of Registered Dietitians recently added a new 5-Day Menu Planner section. Taking the guess work out of good eating, each menu plan is based on an 1800 calorie/day diet and provides Exchanges for Diabetes Meal Planning. Be sure to stop by the site to download a menu for your client today. It's just one of the many ways that the Maker of the World's Best Cheddar is helping you, help others eat better!  

Uncover the Facts About Soy

Foods made from whole soy provide all of the naturally-occurring nutrients that soy has to offer. Whole soy is a rich source of fiber, protein, healthy fats and vitamins and minerals including folate, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron and calcium. SOYJOY® is a convenient way for your patients and clients to include whole soy in their busy lifestyles.  Per bar, SOYJOY offers 130-140 calories, 8 grams of whole soy, and 4-5 grams of protein. Try SOYJOY® and share them with your patients as a great on-the-go, nutrient-rich soyfood. Click here to learn more about whole soy.

New FREE Webinar on Targeted Nutrition Therapy for Wounds

The next topic in the free webinar series is entitled Improving Wound Care Through Targeted Nutritional Therapy. Join speaker Nancy Collins, PhD, RD, LD/N, FAPWCA as she discusses the difference between healing and chronic wounds and the relationship between lean body mass loss and wound healing. The webinar will also explore the function of amino acids and explain the role of arginine, glutamine and HMB in your plan of care. Please click here for more information.

Nominate a Special DFF and You Can Both Win!

Many of us have a "BFF" (Best Friend Forever), but people with diabetes or pre-diabetes need a BFF who understands the importance of maintaining a healthy diabetic lifestyle -- a "DFF" (Diabetes Friend Forever). To honor these unsung heroes, Dreamfields Pasta is sponsoring a first-of-its kind program to pay tribute to the special people who help make living with diabetes a manageable experience. Nominate that special person at www.diabetesfriendsforever.com. Six DFFs and their nominators will be awarded cash prizes, plus an additional 13 DFFs will be highlighted throughout the program and be awarded a case of Dreamfields Pasta.

Professional Registered Dietitian (RD) Staffing Available

Founded in 2003 by Jennifer DeFrain, MS, RD, Dietitians of OC provides professional RD staffing, educational programs, and private consults to the health care industry (hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health agencies and hospices) and public sector. With an average of 8 years of experience, many of our seasoned RDs have additional specialty board certifications in Gerontology Nutrition, Renal Nutrition, Pediatrics and Sports Nutrition. They are dedicated to excellence and staying abreast of advancements in the field. Ms. DeFrain, MS, RD takes an active role in the business, overseeing her growing team, ensuring her clients’ needs are met, and keeping her clinical skills sharp by seeing patients herself.

Need to nourish your RD Department? Staff up with Dietitians of OC and discover for yourself why they are earning a reputation for being the West Coast’s premier source for professional RD staffing.

FREE Job Service

The RD411.com job service is open for business. Employers can post their job openings quickly and easily for free. Job searchers can browse the listings and see if they find something of interest. Click here to take a look around.

RD411 Book Shelf

Each month Dr. Collins highlights one book she recommends.

This month’s book selection is entitled Eating for Autism: The 10-Step Nutrition Plan to Help Treat Your Child’s Autism, Asperger’s or ADHD by Elizabeth Strickland, MS, RD, LD. This book presents an easy 10-step plan to positively change a child’s diet, starting with basic modifications and gradually moving to more advanced nutritional interventions. Autism spectrum disorders are increasing at an alarming rate so it is helpful to have a book like this that gives reasonable, scientifically-based advice in a clear and readable format. Also included are 75 kid-friendly gluten, casein, and soy free recipes. This book is helpful to both parents and healthcare practitioners who want to learn more. As Elizabeth says “Nutrition is the basis upon which all other treatments are built, and nutrition therapy should be a part of every autistic child’s comprehensive treatment plan.” Now we have the resource that can make this a reality. For more information, please visit http://www.asdpuzzle.com.

The RD411.com Mission

The more successful each individual dietitian is, the more successful the profession is as a whole. Think of RD411.com as your virtual assistant. The less time you spend reinventing the wheel, the more time you’ll have for your patients and clients—and yourself. You are welcome to download, modify, and distribute any materials you find on RD411.com for free.

RD411.com is a peer-to-peer network. You are invited to contribute to the site and share your best practices or any materials you have developed with your colleagues.  Just email RD411Office@gmail.com.  Click here to see the long list of contributors!

Let RD411.com save you time so you can get back to the business of nutrition and healthcare.

Here Is What’s New This Month

RD411’s philosophy is simple – the more successful each individual dietitian is, the more successful the profession is as a whole. This is a community site and we welcome submissions, ideas, and suggestions from all colleagues and practitioners. If you have developed a great policy, a helpful form, or have another idea to share, contact Dr. Nancy Collins, PhD, RD, LD/N at RD411Office@gmail.com. Our goal is to get you out of the office and back with patients or clients doing what you do best!