Since staffing has so much to do with facility-specific criteria such as acuity, role of the RD, and other non-patient care responsibilities, it is not easy to formulate one guideline for RD/DTR-to-Patient Ratio that fits all circumstances.

The Clinical Nutrition Management (CNM) Dietetic Practice Group and the Academy Research Committee are partnering in a research study on clinical staffing. The primary goal is the development of an inpatient staffing model for RDs based on the nutrition care process and nutrition specific patient outcomes. Selected descriptive data for patients, facilities, and RD factors will be included in a predictive equation to determine RD staffing levels necessary to achieve the specified nutrition care process measures and nutrition specific patient outcomes. The study is scheduled to begin in 2010.

Clinical Staffing Resources from the Academy

Achieving Excellence: Clinical Staffing for Today and Tomorrow
By Christina K. Biesemeier, MS, RD, FADA (ADA 2004)
This book includes different calculations and worksheets for discerning the acuity/staffing needs for a particular facility.

Dreams Fulfilled: More Money – More Staff
By Lauren M. Hudson, MS, RD, and Karan D. Staten, MS, RD
(Audio session from ADA’s Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo 2007)
This recorded session identifies strategies for negotiating with administrative staff to increase staff and salaries, in addition to discussing tools to prepare a business proposal to increase staff and salaries.

Clinical Staffing and Productivity Study

The Clinical Nutrition Management Dietetic Practice Group and the Academy Research Committee are partnering in a research study on clinical staffing. Study is available for participation by Academy members.

More »

Articles from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Note: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics online access is free to all Academy members.

If you are not an Academy member, you may subscribe to the publication or purchase individual articles from Elsevier at www.andjrnl.org.

• What Is ADA’s Staffing Ratio for Clinical Dietitians? (November 2006)
• Clinical Staffing: Determining the Right Size (January 2006)
• Foodservices, Nutritional Care and Staffing are Associated with Risk of Malnutrition in Long-Term Care (August 2007 Abstract of Session Only)
• A Hospital-Based, Professional Services Model for Clinical Dietitians Improves Patient Care, Recruitment, Retention and Job Satisfaction (August 2007 Abstract of Session Only)
• No Relationship Identified Between Foodservice Staffing Levels and Patient Satisfaction Scores (August 2006 Abstract of Session Only )
• Development and Implementation of a Clinical Inpatient Staffing - Model in an Academic Medical Center (August 2005 Abstract of Session Only)
• Food Service Staffing - Practice Paper of ADA: A Systems Approach to Measuring Productivity in Health Care Foodservice Operations (January 2005)
• Clinical Dietetics Changes Due to Cost-reduction Activities in Healthcare Systems (November 2001)
• Patient Nutrition Acuity as a Predictor of the Time Required to Perform Medical Nutrition Therapy (November 1999)
• Role of Inpatient Nutrition Acuity in Designing Dietitian Staffing Patterns and Justifying Staffing Needs (September 1997 Abstract of Session Only)
• Patient Acuity Study Description and Model to Predict Staffing for Delivery of Medical Nutrition Therapy (September 1997 Abstract of Session Only)
• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations: Friend, not foe (July 2000)