PHPS40890 Dietetics through the Life Cyc

Academic Year 2022/2023

Nutritional needs change over the lifecycle. At all life stages, the need for health promoting or therapeutic dietetic interventions can arise. This module focuses on the assessment of individuals or groups referred to a dietetics healthcare professional, the identification of the specific nutrition problem experienced by the client, patient or group, the dietetic intervention and the monitoring and evaluation of the intervention. Practical nutrition strategies based on current nutrition guidelines to promote maternal, child, adolescent and older persons’ health will be considered. The module will equip students to manage the common nutrition problems that occur during the lifecycle. Coursework in this module includes a review article, a short question assessment, a group-based presentation on a practical case study and a dietary information leaflet or infographic. This is a core module for the MSc (level 9) in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this module students should be able to:
i. identify the policy documents used by dietitians to provide an evidence base for dietetic practice in each stage of the lifecycle
ii. describe and be able to calculate the nutritional and dietary requirements at each stage of the lifecycle: pregnant and lactating women, infants, children, adults and older people
iii. know the common problems that require dietetic management throughout the lifecycle
iv. using the Nutrition Care Process and ADIME (assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation) model applied to case studies, devise dietetic care plans for commonly occurring dietetically managed problems that occur in each stage of the lifecycle; pre-and during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, in infants and children, adults and elderly people.
v. translate current nutrition guidelines into practical nutrition strategies

Indicative Module Content:

Dietetics pre-pregnancy, during pregnancy and lactation
Infant feeding
Childhood feeding
Nutrition during adolescence
Dietetic management of older people
Food regulation and legislation

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

26
Tutorial

Specified Learning Activities

60
Autonomous Student Learning

40
Total

126
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures
Task-based learning
Group work
Critical writing
Enquiry & problem-based learning
Case-based learning
Student presentations 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: Multiple-Choice and Short Question Assessment
Available week 9
Submission week 11		 Week 11 n/a Graded Yes

30
Group Project: Case Study presentation Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded Yes

20
Assignment: Review Article Week 4 n/a Graded Yes

30
Assignment: Dietary Information Leaflet/Infographic Week 10 n/a Graded Yes

20

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

The first assignment in this module is to write a critical review of a topic relevant to dietetics through the lifecycle. Students are given early feedback on this to support their critical appraisal skills, vital to the development of an autonomous healthcare professional. Other assignments in this module support the preparation of the students for practice placement within the community healthcare environment. Assignment 2, the development of an information leaflet or infographic suitable for a specific group within the population is provided with feedback for consideration prior to undertaking such work within the practice placement setting. The multiple-choice and short questions in Assignment 3 consolidate student knowledge and feedback is provided to clarify misunderstanding or misinterpretation of guidelines relevant to the provision of nutritional healthcare in the Irish setting. The research into and presentation of a typical case to be managed in the healthcare setting aligned to the module learning outcomes at the end of the semester consolidates the students' learning and the feedback provided supports their preparation for the first (non-acute) practice placement.

Name Role
Dr Sarah Browne Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Ms Sinead Curran Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Breige McNulty Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Sharleen O'Reilly Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Clare Reynolds Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Miss Annelie Shaw Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Mrs Ruth Charles Tutor
Ms Nicola Dervan Tutor