Implementation and Practical Application of the Nutrition Care Process in the Dialysis Unit

The Nutrition Care Process (NCP) was introduced in 2003 (Lacey and Pritchett, J Am Diet Assoc. 2003;103:1061-1071). Since then, dietitians have been encouraged to incorporate the NCP into their daily practice, yet it has not been totally adopted in all dialysis units (Dent and McDuffie, J Ren Nutr. 2011;1:205-207). The renal dietitian has the benefit of being able to follow-up with the dialysis patient on a monthly basis. During these monthly visits, as information unfolds, a unique relationship culminates with the dialysis patient. The NCP allows the dietitian to make precise nutrition diagnoses, which reflect the complexity of the renal dietitian's involvement with the dialysis patient. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief description of the NCP as it relates to dialysis, offer a framework on how to begin using the NCP in the dialysis unit, and provide an example of a monthly nutrition note.