INTRODUCTION:

Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) is defined as the assessment of the nutritional status of a
client followed by nutrition therapy ranging from diet modification to specialized nutrition
support such as the administration of enteral and parenteral nutrition and monitoring to
evaluate the patient. In 2001 the Medicare benefit legislation defined MNT as a nutritional
diagnostics, therapy, and counseling services for the purpose of disease management, which
are furnished by a registered dietitian or nutrition professional. MNT may also be defined as
nutritional diagnostic, therapy and counseling services for the purpose of disease management.
MNT is a specific type of nutrition care.
MNT starts with the assessment of nutritional status of patient with a condition, illness or injury
that puts them at risk. This includes the review and analysis of medical and diet history,
laboratory values and anthropometric measurements. Based on the assessment, a nutrition
care plan, most appropriate to manage the condition or treat the illness or injury is formulated.
The MNT also includes intervention and evaluation of achievements of desired clinical
outcomes. Appropriate medical nutrition therapy provided by the dietetics professional has
been shown to result in health in health benefits and reduced health care cost.
Evidence-Based Practice is classically defined by Dr. David Sackett as the conscientious, explicit
and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of the individual
patient. It means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical
evidence from systematic research. EBP has developed over time to now integrate the best
research evidence, clinical expertise, the patient’s individual values and circumstances, and the
characteristics of the practice in which the health professional works. EBP is not only about
applying the best research evidence to your decision-making, but also using the experience,
skills and training that you have as health professional and taking into account the patient’s
situation and values (e.g. social support, financial situation), as well as the practice context (e.g.
limited funding) in which you are working. The process of integrating all of this information is
known as clinical reasoning. When you consider all of these four elements in a way that allows
you to make decisions about the care of a patient, you are engaging in EBP.

BODY
 Definition of Medical nutrition therapy
Important components of Medical Nutrition
 Therapy or Nutrition Therapy
 The goals of nutrition therapy
  How medical nutrition therapy can help certain conditions
 Diabetes
 Heart Disease
 Cancer
 Digestive conditions
 Kidney disease
 When should MNT be implemented

The Journey of Evidence-Based Medical Nutrition

1. From evidence-based medicine (EBM) to evidence-based medical nutrition (EBMN)
2. Best external evidence
 2.1 History of nutritional research
 2.2 Challenges to the field of medical nutrition research
 2.3 Medical nutritional research today
3. Clinical judgement
 3.1. Further nutritional assessment
4. Patient values
 4.1 individualized nutritional treatment algorithm
5. Conclusion