Nutrition Care Process

Nutrition Care Processi

 

The Nutrition Care Process (NCP) is a four-step process designed to improve the consistency and quality of individualized nutrition care for clients or groups and the predictability of client outcomes. It is not intended to standardize nutrition care for each client, but to establish a standardized process for providing care. A significant amount of critical thinking, expertise and evidence-based clinical judgment by a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) is the solid foundation upon which the NCP is built and allows for tailor-made nutrition care in the setting of a standardized process. In addition, the 2024 Scope and Standards of Practice for RDNs requires the use of the Nutrition Care Process across all settings.

The four steps in the process include Nutrition Assessment, Nutrition Diagnosis, Nutrition Intervention, and Nutrition Monitoring & Evaluation. It is important to note that, although the Nutrition Care Process steps are numbered in sequential order, the real application of the process is not always linear. For instance, while providing nutrition care to a client, the Nutrition Care Process will utilize critical thinking to identify potential nutrition problems while performing the assessment and may apply nutrition interventions while still eliciting further assessment data from the client. The linear structure of the Nutrition Care Process is, however, useful when documenting nutrition care as it provides standardization of the documentation across healthcare providers.

Nutrition Care Process Terminology

The Nutrition Care Process Terminology (NCPT) is nutrition terminology for use by nutrition and dietetics practitioners to document client care. The NCPT provides a uniform method for the Nutrition Care Process to link medical nutrition therapy with outcomes. It enables consistent data tracking in electronic health records and is used in healthcare facilities throughout the United States. The use of the Nutrition Care Process and Nutrition Care Process Terminology continues to grow globally.  

To learn more about the Nutrition Care Process Terminology, visit www.nutritioncareprocess.org. The NCPT is available in English and has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, German, Danish, French, Norwegian, and Traditional Chinese. Translation into Italian is in progress. 

Nutrition Care Process Snapshots

The "Snapshot" handouts provide guided in-depth learning on the NCP and the standardized language in the Nutrition Care Process Terminology. They are designed to help nutrition practitioners better understand and implement the NCP and Terminology.  Click on each title to view:

• Nutrition Assessment
• Nutrition Diagnosis
• Nutrition Intervention
• Nutrition Monitoring and Evaluation.

Nutrition Care Process Model

The Nutrition Care Process Model (NCPM) is a graphic visualization that illustrates the steps of the NCP and the internal and external factors that impact its use. Click on the link to download the NCPM: /NCPM_2025.pdf

• The outer ring of the NCPM influences how clients receive nutrition information. The practice setting reflects rules and regulations covering practice, the age and health conditions of clients, and how an RDN’s time is allocated. 
• The middle ring distinguishes the unique professional attributes of the RDN from those in other professions. 
• The screening and referral and outcomes management systems referenced in the NCPM are outside the nutrition care steps managed directly by the RDN.

The NCPM is intended to reflect the dynamic nature of relationships through the NCP process.

 Nutrition Care Process Tutorial

The NCP tutorial is a seven-module series that covers the four steps of the Nutrition Care Process. Module 1 outlines navigating the eNCPT website; Module 2 provides an overview of the Nutrition Care Process; the four steps of the Nutrition Care Process are covered as follows: Nutrition Assessment (Module 3), Nutrition Diagnosis (Module 4), Nutrition Intervention (Module 5), and Nutrition Monitoring and Evaluation (Module 6). And finally, Module 7 includes a case study to provide examples of the NCP terminology in practice. Access the tutorials via this link. 

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Health Informatics Infrastructure (ANDHII)

ANDHII is a web-based platform available to Academy members to enable the RDN to track nutrition care outcomes and advance evidence-based nutrition practice research. ANDHII fills that gap by offering secure online data collection from anywhere using the familiar NCPT and a format that makes it easy to integrate into practice workflow. The knowledge gained through the collection and analysis of information in ANDHII will add to the evidence base for nutrition practice and help ensure high-quality patient care.

The ANDHII platform facilitates multi-site and even multinational experimental research, allows secure upload of informed consent documentation, and offers a variety of privacy and compliance configurations as well as automatic conversion of units and time zones. To learn more, visit https//www.andhii.org

Questions regarding the Nutrition Care Process and Terminology? Email ncp@eatright.org