(P14-005-25) The Positive Impact and Experience of a Telehealth Counselling Program on Dietetic Students – A Qualitative Research

Objectives: To explore the perspectives of dietetics students on the effectiveness of providing nutritional interventions via telehealth to patients with chronic conditions and the program's impact on students.

Methods: Qualitative, thematic analysis with semi-structured individual interviews. Participants were graduate dietetics students who participated in at least one semester of a telehealth project. Outcomes focused on four topics: program effectiveness, benefits/impact on academic or professional growth, experience/opinion about telehealth, and social responsibility/public service. Two independent coders reviewed and decided on subthemes based on the interview questions and the recurrent themes. Discrepancies were taken to a third investigator.

Results: Fifteen themes emerged and were classified into four thematic categories. Conducting counselling helped students improve their counselling skills [n= 13, 92.9%], ability to apply nutrition knowledge [n=14, 100%], and increased cultural awareness [n=5, 35.7%]. The main barriers were technological difficulties [n=13, 92.9%], contacting and scheduling visits [n=11, 78.6%], and lack of in-person interactions [n=7, 50%].

Conclusions: Dietetic students who participated had an improved perception of their ability to counsel patients. Future studies should consider a longer duration is needed and including an in-person aspect.

Funding Sources: This work received a High Impact Practice Grant from the University of North Florida, United States.