Failure to Thrive: A Qualitative Study of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists' Perspectives on Barriers to Timely Nutrition Support in Gastrointestinal Cancer.

Malnutrition affects about 61% of patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, yet timely, registered dietitian nutritionist-led care is often delayed or uneven across settings. To identify registered dietitians' (RDs) perceived barriers to timely nutrition support in GI oncology within a multisite...

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Publicado en:Journal of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Vol. 126; no. 9
Autores principales: Lal, Trisha, Moody, Daria, Chiratanagandla, Rishi, Chakraborty, Natalie N., Davey, Christine Horvat, Bora, Samudragupta, Eitan, Shira, LeJuene, Amy, Dunbar, Amy, Hoehn, Richard S.
Formato: research Journal Article
Publicado: Elsevier B.V. Sep2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Sep2026
      vid: 126
      iid: 9
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      pub: Elsevier B.V.
      place: New York, New York
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        10.1016/j.jand.2026.156332
        195836762
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        atl: Failure to Thrive: A Qualitative Study of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists' Perspectives on Barriers to Timely Nutrition Support in Gastrointestinal Cancer.
      aug:
        au:
          Lal, Trisha
          Moody, Daria
          Chiratanagandla, Rishi
          Chakraborty, Natalie N.
          Davey, Christine Horvat
          Bora, Samudragupta
          Eitan, Shira
          LeJuene, Amy
          Dunbar, Amy
          Hoehn, Richard S.
        affil: Division of Surgical Oncology, University Hospitals, Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
      sug:
        subj:
          Dietitians Psychosocial Factors
          Nutritionists Psychosocial Factors
          Attitude of Health Personnel Evaluation
          Gastrointestinal Neoplasms
          Nutritional Support Psychosocial Factors
          Treatment Delay Psychosocial Factors
          Human
          Qualitative Studies
          Multicenter Studies
          Academic Medical Centers
          Descriptive Research
          Semi-Structured Interview
          Adult
          Middle Age
          Female
          Thematic Analysis
          Health Services Accessibility
          Referral and Consultation
          Time
          Continuity of Patient Care
          Health Labor Supply
          Emotions
          Workload
          Promotion and Tenure
          Multidisciplinary Care Team
          Personnel Staffing and Scheduling
          Early Intervention Psychosocial Factors
          Hand Off (Patient Safety)
          Health Resource Allocation
          Preoperative Education
          Nutrition Education
          Cancer Patients
          Failure to Thrive Prevention and Control
          Malnutrition Prevention and Control
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Female
      ab: Malnutrition affects about 61% of patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, yet timely, registered dietitian nutritionist-led care is often delayed or uneven across settings. To identify registered dietitians' (RDs) perceived barriers to timely nutrition support in GI oncology within a multisite academic health system. Qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews, supplemented by a brief survey to characterize participants and practice context. Seven RDs practicing across inpatient and outpatient services at a main campus and satellite sites (all non-Hispanic White women; median age 45 years, interquartile range [IQR] 37 to 52 years). Perceived barriers to timely nutrition support; theme salience by clinician characteristics (years in practice, GI caseload, and number of facilities). Inductive thematic analysis by 2 coders with iterative codebook refinement and consensus; descriptive summaries of survey items; joint display mapping participant attributes to theme salience (0 = not mentioned, 1 = mentioned, 2 = strongly emphasized) and a salience-weighted score (the sum of the 5 theme ratings; range = 0 to 10). Five barriers emerged: Access, Referral Timing, Coordination, Workforce Constraints, and Emotional Burden. Theme salience peaked among clinicians covering 2 or more facilities (mean salience-weighted score = 9.5 out of 10). In the joint display (years in practice, GI caseload, and the number of facilities), Access, Coordination, and Workforce appeared across all subgroups. All RDs endorsed a multidisciplinary team focused on nonmedical barriers. System-level obstacles, particularly access limitations, coordination gaps, and staffing constraints, delay timely nutrition support in GI oncology, with multisite coverage intensifying these challenges. Findings highlight actionable leverage points for implementation, including standardized early referral triggers, structured cross-setting handoffs, streamlined resource navigation, and workforce supports. In response, a preoperative nutrition handout paired with an automatic RD referral at the surgical preoperative visit was initiated at the study institution. Prospective studies should assess the influence on nutritional status, treatment tolerance, and patient-reported outcomes.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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