Background: Many chronic diseases are avoidable, reversible, or manageable to an optimal state though behavioral modifications, namely, the diet. One key role of nursing should be to identify high-risk populations for chronic disease and those who would benefit from dietician referral and eventually initiate and provide collaborative care with a dietician. Dieticians are specifically educated and trained to utilize nutrition scientifically, and their skills include culturally compentent teaching. Problem: Nearly half of the cardiovascular-related mortality and readmission stem from poor diet, but many patients do not receive dietician services during admission. Solution: PICOT: This project was developed to improve assessments and appropriate referrals by inpatient nursing in an acute-care setting (P), to reduce patient adverse outcomes and readmissions (O) through improved collaboration with RDNs (I) and compare the outcome by pre-and post-KAP survey, pre-intervention and post-intervention RDN referral rate changes, and pre-intervention and post-intervention readmission case changes (C). The intervention timeline was four weeks (T). Theory and EBP model: The theory chosen for the project is Roger’s Innovation of Diffusion, and the EBP model of the project is the Knowledge to Action process framework developed by Graham. These theories and models apply because “information” can only be integrated into “practice” if there is enough evidence to support the usefulness of the intervention. Results: The nursing survey, RDN referral rate, and readmission rate results revealed no significant changes from pre-intervention to post-intervention. Due to the unique time and environment in which the project took place, the project resulted in insignificant and inconclusive data. It is difficult to determine the effectiveness, and the intervention is likely to be unnoticed or rejected. Future direction: To continue this project, it will have to re-start from the beginning; with an in-house seminar from RDN. The patient demographic would ideally be focused on a chronically ill group such as patients with heart failure. By focusing on one group, to begin with, the benefit could have been more evident.
