Hypertension and Dyslipidemia
Evaluate
Page Contents
Evaluating the Nutrition Care Plan (NCP)
After you have implemented the plan, you want to follow-up and evaluate it to see if it has been effective in addressing your nutrition concerns. This can help you to decide on appropriate changes to make to the nutrition care plan moving forward. To evaluate your plan in a outpatient setting, you will need to set up a follow-up appointment or phone call with your client to gather updated information. Your follow-up appointments and evaluation of the plan should explore previous SMART goals (success, barriers, questions) and aim to set new ones (one per visit to target an area of concern), if the client is ready.
| Common Issues | Questions to Evaluate Effectiveness of NCP |
|---|---|
| Blood Pressure |
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| Dyslipidemia |
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| Medication |
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| Balanced Meals |
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| Physical Activity |
|
Evaluating David’s Nutrition Care Plan
At David’s follow-up appointment 3 months later, you evaluate David’s nutrition care plan and it seems like he is having great success. Upon evaluation of his biochemical data, you notice a 50% reduction in LDL-C values and within target BP readings. Congratulate David! His triglycerides remain elevated and you ask him about his alcohol intake. He reveals that he did not achieve the goal of reducing his alcohol consumption. This remains a goal to work towards. David tells you that he has very little constipation anymore and enjoys taking the Metamucil. He also tells you that he is using the plate method for at least 80% of his meals and is incorporating more vegetables and fruit in his diet. Continue with the Metamucil and dietary changes, as they are both likely contributing to the positive effects.
| Common Issues | Questions to Evaluate Effectiveness of NCP | David’s outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Blood Pressure |
|
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| Dyslipidemia |
|
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| Medication |
|
|
| Balanced Meals |
|
|
| Physical Activity |
|
|
David is doing great. Your role is also to congratulate and motivate adherence to his current success. However, David’s triglycerides still remain elevated with no significant change from the initial appointment. He did not meet his goal of reducing alcohol consumption. You want to ask David why he did not adhere to that goal. Is he still interested in reducing consumption? As mentioned, David’s alcohol consumption is within moderation. Therefore, reducing consumption may or may not have a benefit to triglyceride levels. However, with no change in his biochemical data it may be worth exploring. You can also ask David if he is willing to revisit engaging in physical activity to improve his triglyceride levels. You may also want to liaise with his PCP regarding the triglyceride levels and inform them of the current success.
David is still experiencing high triglyceride levels (no significant change yet with dietary strategies), which should be addressed in the follow-up by:
- Asking about willingness to reduce alcohol consumption.
- Revisiting willingness to engage in physical activity.
- Setting a goal to reduce alcohol consumption.
- Liaising with his PCP to discuss further options.
The Nutrition Care Process Model
As you use the Nutrition Care Process Model and the learning from this case study as a guide throughout your patient care in practicum, please keep in mind that the process is dynamic, and not step-by-step as all cases are different. You are encouraged to complete the recommended readings for this module and continue to expand your learning in this clinical area of practice.
PART 4: EVALUATE COMPLETE. Pause to reflect on the evaluation strategies discussed, and review the readings and resources in the following section for your information.
You’ve now completed the nutrition for Hypertension and Dyslipidemia module. Please consider providing feedback through the embedded form in the next section.
Acknowledgements
Daniela Malta, PhD, RD
Michaela Kucab, RD, MHSc
Jess Wiles, RD, MHSc
