Page 35 - RPA May 2020

Role of a dietitian
According to the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA), dietitians are nutrition experts who “understand how the body works and how food and drink help nourish both healthy individuals and those with medical conditions who are affected by or treated with nutrition”.
Accredited Practising Dietitian and Sports Dietitian Alicia Edge from Compeat Nutrition says one of the
key reasons pharmacists should work closely with dietitians is the dietitian’s “ability to counsel and coach around the diet-and-disease relationship”.
“It’s something dietitians have that’s different to pharmacists, nutritionists, doctors, whatever [the case] may be: that innate knowledge around how food interacts in the body and how it can change ... depending on the individual and the individual disease relationship or the current condition of the individual,” she said.
Nutrition scope of a pharmacist
While dietitians are typically deemed the experts in nutrition, pharmacists also play a key role in this space, particularly
in terms of providing basic healthy eating information to customers.
Pharmacies are often the first port of call for health advice and the places most frequently visited by those seeking guidance and information. This accessibility puts pharmacists in a unique position, as Ms Edge points out.
“[Pharmacists] are able to be there quite frequently for the [customer], because that’s where they’ll be coming in for their immediate support,” she said.
Community Pharmacist and Master Herbalist Gerald Quigley said:
“Like most things in health, there’s a lot of blurring of the lines. In my particular role, I’m eternally frustrated that people aren’t given supportive dietary advice. Advice about food empowers the patient enormously.”
Mr Quigley continued: “From a pharmacist perspective, it really just depends on how confident they
are in looking at references and guiding people through. And these aren’t specific prescriptions, these are suggestions.
“The old excuse is ‘I don’t have time’. But I get sick of hearing that excuse.
HEALTH NUTRITION 33 If we’re in the health game, we have to
make time.”
Christie Johnson, Sports Nutritionist
and Accredited Practising Dietitian at SportsDietitian.com, an online nutrition consultancy, agrees that pharmacists have the scope to advise on healthy eating basics.
“I think it’s great that pharmacists can explain all the different supplements and vitamins and minerals, and explain the benefits of them if [a customer] is going to take them,” she said. “But I think
they also need to explain that this is the second level up – the first level [is about building] the foundations of healthy eating that’s right for that [customer].
“Supplements are, kind of, your icing on the cake, essentially. You need to be able to make the cake first before you can have the icing on top.”
Ms Johnson added:
“Asking [customers] who come into a pharmacy if they’ve seen a dietitian ... or if they understand why they need to take these supplements [is important].”
Echoing these sentiments, Ms Edge adds that pharmacists should be able
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RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • MAR 2020