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Background: Professionalism of health care practitioners is central to safe and ethical health care, and forms part of the trust that the public places in health care practitioners. Lapses in professionalism in health care present considerable challenges and can have serious consequences and outcomes. Teaching, learning, and assessing professionalism is an important component of nutrition and dietetics education. There is scant peer-reviewed published research related to professionalism in nutrition and dietetics. Providing a definition of professionalism will support progress in curriculum planning and design, teaching, learning and assessment of students, and ongoing professional development of educators and practitioners., Objective: The aim of this study was to conceptualize and define professionalism for the purpose of teaching nutrition and dietetics., Design: This study included a critical systematic literature review of original research and a targeted and systematic search of national and international dietetics competency standards, exploring the concept and definitions of professionalism in nutrition and dietetics. Competency standards were chosen as an additional focus in the systematic literature search, as they are the key framework documents that guide curriculum development and education standards internationally. Thematic analysis was used to synthesize extracted data and an inductive, interpretivist approach was then applied in conceptualizing a definition of professionalism., Results: Seven studies and six national and international sets of competency standards were included in the literature review. Four major themes conceptualizing a definition of professionalism for nutrition and dietetics were identified from the integration of the original research and targeted gray literature reviews: 1) personal attributes; 2) interpersonal communication; 3) approach to practice; and 4) commitment to lifelong learning., Conclusions: Defining professionalism for nutrition and dietetics supports progress toward shared understandings, building trust, and assisting in dietetics education and practice. It can be used to support and extend teaching, learning, and assessment of professionalism., (Copyright © 2019 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Social media tools, including blogs, social networks, and media-sharing sites, help nutrition and dietetics practitioners reach broader audiences and connect directly with the public. In many ways, social media has transformed the practice of dietetics and has opened up new avenues for communicating food and nutrition information. Social media has been an effective tool for virtual nutrition counseling, patient education, peer-to-peer support, and public health campaigns. Increasingly, nutrition and dietetics practitioners are using social media to network and collaborate with colleagues, conduct a job search, stay current with new research, champion a cause, promote products or services, and build a business. The potential role of social media in the profession is far reaching, yet there are important guidelines to follow related to ethics and professionalism. When using social media, nutrition and dietetics practitioners must remember that they are governed by the same Code of Ethics that guides all other aspects of practice. In addition, it is critical to have a thorough understanding of all the factors related to social media professionalism, including disclosure rules from the Federal Trade Commission, patient/client privacy and confidentiality as covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and copyright laws that protect intellectual property. In today's digital age, it is essential for nutrition and dietetics practitioners to recognize the professional opportunities and challenges of social media. Failing to effectively and ethically use social media can reflect poorly on the individual practitioner and the profession. Certain violations may have legal implications. The purpose of this Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics practice paper is to provide guidance on social media's relevance, potential applications, best practices, benefits, and risks., (Copyright © 2016 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Moral reasoning skills, associated with the ability to make ethical decisions effectively, must be purposively fostered. Among health professionals, enhanced moral reasoning is linked to superior clinical performance. Research demonstrates that moral reasoning is enhanced through dedicated, discussion-based ethics education offered over a period of 3-12 weeks. Current dietetic students and practicing dietitians seeking to strengthen their moral reasoning skills can undertake elective ethics education. Further research within dietetic preparatory programs is warranted to better inform the development and implementation of ethics courses., (Copyright © 2015 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that individuals have the right to request or refuse nutrition and hydration as medical treatment. Registered dietitians should work collaboratively as part of an interprofessional team to make recommendations on providing, withdrawing, or withholding nutrition and hydration in individual cases and serve as active members of institutional ethics committees. This practice paper provides a proactive, integrated, systematic process to implement the Academy's position. The position and practice papers should be used together to address the history and supporting information of ethical and legal issues of feeding and hydration identified by the Academy. Elements of collaborative ethical deliberation are provided for pediatrics and adults and in different conditions. The process of ethical deliberation is presented with the roles and responsibilities of the registered dietitian and the dietetic technician, registered. Understanding the importance and applying concepts dealing with cultural values and religious diversity is necessary to integrate clinical ethics into nutrition care. Incorporating screening for quality-of-life goals is essential before implementing the Nutrition Care Process and improving health literacy with individual interactions. Developing institution-specific policies and procedures is necessary to accelerate the practice change with artificial nutrition, clinical ethics, and quality improvement projects to determine best practice. This paper supports the "Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Ethical and Legal Issues of Feeding and Hydration" published in the June 2013 issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics., (Copyright © 2013 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that individuals have the right to request or refuse nutrition and hydration as medical treatment. Registered dietitians (RDs) should work collaboratively as part of the interprofessional team to make recommendations on providing, withdrawing, or withholding nutrition and hydration in individual cases and serve as active members of institutional ethics committees. RDs have an active role in determining the nutrition and hydration requirements for individuals throughout the life span. When individuals choose to forgo any type of nutrition and hydration (natural or artificial), or when individuals lack decision-making capacity and others must decide whether or not to provide artificial nutrition and hydration, RDs have a professional role in the ethical deliberation around those decisions. Across the life span, there are multiple instances when nutrition and hydration issues create ethical dilemmas. There is strong clinical, ethical, and legal support both for and against the administration of food and water when issues arise regarding what is or is not wanted by the individual and what is or is not warranted by empirical clinical evidence. When a conflict arises, the decision requires ethical deliberation. RDs' understanding of nutrition and hydration within the context of nutritional requirements and cultural, social, psychological, and spiritual needs provide an essential basis for ethical deliberation. RDs, as health care team members, have the responsibility to promote use of advanced directives. RDs promote the rights of the individual and help the health care team implement appropriate therapy. This paper supports the "Practice Paper of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Ethical and Legal Issues of Feeding and Hydration" published on the Academy website at: www.eatright.org/positions., (Copyright © 2013 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

RDs face complex situations every day. Competently addressing the unique needs of each situation and applying standards appropriately is essential to providing safe, timely, person-centered quality care and service. All RDs are advised to conduct their practice based on the most recent edition of the Academy's Code of Ethics and the Scope of Practice in Nutrition and Dietetics, the Scope of Practice for the Registered Dietitian, the 2012 Standards of Practice in Nutrition Care and Standards of Professional Performance for RDs, and the applicable focus area SOP and SOPP for RDs. These resources provide minimum standards and tools for demonstrating competence and safe practice, and are used collectively to gauge and guide an RD's performance in nutrition and dietetics practice. The SOP and SOPP for the RD are self-evaluation tools that promote quality assurance and performance improvement. Self-assessment provides opportunities to identify areas for enhancement, new learning, and skill development, and to encourage progression of career growth. All RDs are advised to have in their personal libraries the most recent copy of the Academy's Scope of Practice in Nutrition and Dietetics and its components: The 2012 Academy Standards of Practice in Nutrition Care and Standards of Professional Performance for Registered Dietitians; applicable focus area SOP and SOPP; the Code of Ethics; and the Scope of Practice for the Registered Dietitian. To ensure that credentialed dietetics practitioners always have access to the most current materials, each resource is maintained on the Academy's website. The documents will continue to be reviewed and updated as new trends in the profession of nutrition and dietetics and external influences emerge.

Background: Dietetic students are exposed to bioethical dilemmas on clinical placements; however, the nature of these situations has not been investigated. The present study aimed to analyse students' reports of incidents and their associated personal development plans (PDP) to assess the type of ethical incidents faced and how they cope with them., Methods: Final-year dietetic students were recruited via an announcement in class. The students' PDPs were analysed using thematic analysis to identify the type of ethical issues faced and how they felt about them. The 500-word PDPs were submitted after the final placement., Results: Thirteen (13/26) students identified 'ethics' as a learning need and most of these incidents were related to enteral feeding (10/13). Ethical issues identified related to nonmaleficence; best interest; consent and capacity; truth telling and integrity; autonomy and substituted decision-making; futile treatment; beneficence and confidentially. The themes for how the students coped included being unsure; lack of confidence or knowledge with ethics and/or with communication; lack of experience; unease/concern about shared decision-making; and their own role in the situation., Conclusions: Student dietitians are exposed to a wide range of complex ethical clinical situations, with those related to enteral feeding being the most common. Students felt unsure of what to do and lacked confidence, which resulted in unease and concern; however, students appeared to have some ethical sensitivity. Communication problems with the multidisciplinary team or families were a common theme. Clinical educators need to support students in these situations and act as role models., (© 2012 The Authors Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics © 2012 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.)

The practice of hospital dietetics in children is a response to biological and nutritional concerns related to the pathology. It rarely takes into account any of the ethical questions, nevertheless essential, which arise in the relationship built around food. Through the perspective of nutritionists, researchers and philosophers, dietetics in hospital takes an ethical dimension.

Although disclosure of all funding sources, including those from industry, is mandatory for publication, it is no longer adequate. Given the skepticism surrounding industry-funded research, we need guidelines for communication with funding organizations and publication venues, and we need to safeguard and preserve research and scientific integrity.