Ethics Committee Report Fall 2006

The Ethics Committee is a joint committee of the Board of Directors, House of Delegates and Commission on Dietetic Registration. The purpose of the Ethics Committee is to review, promote and enforce the Code of Ethics for the Profession of Dietetics (which can be found on the ADA Web site at www.eatright.org/codeofethics). The committee is also responsible for educating members, credentialed practitioners, students and the public about the ethical principles of the Code of Ethics.

Below you will find a progress report related to the committee’s 10 goals established for the 2006-07 program year.

  • Address ethics complaints of an alleged violation in a timely manner.
    Progress to Date: Three new complaints were submitted since June 1, 2006 and are being investigated. Six previous cases have been resolved since the end of the program year (May 31, 2006): 2 cases were dismissed; 3 cases were resolved with action; and 1 case continues to be investigated.
  • Conduct a survey of members and credentialed practitioners to better understand the ethical dilemmas that face the RD and DTR to identify educational opportunities for the future.
    Progress to Date: The committee has discussed and developed a plan for conducting a survey. A preliminary survey has been discussed and is currently being reviewed. It is anticipated that the survey will be conducted in January 2007. 
  • Finalize and publish a third Ethics Opinion related to “questionable nutrition advice promoted in popular literature” entitled “Writing for the Popular Press: Public Interest and Science-Based Information.”
    Progress to Date: The draft third Ethics Opinion entitled “RDs and DTRs Are Obligated to Follow Ethical Standards When Writing Public Interest and Science-Based Information in the Popular Press” has been reviewed by 5 selected reviewers with expertise in the topic. The reviewer feedback has been provided to the authors, who are revising the draft for re-submission to the committee. The Ethics Opinion should be published in 2007.
  • Identify a topic to initiate the development of a fourth Ethics Opinion.
    Consider the issue of weight loss supplements and/or food replacements (products related to weight loss) for developing an Ethics Opinion or guidelines. Collaborate with Weight Management DPG.
    Progress to Date: The Ethics Committee has agreed to initiate the development of the fourth Ethics Opinion on the use of weight loss supplements and/or food replacements. A timeline for initiating the development of this Ethics Opinion has been approved.  Discussions with the Weight Management DPG provided more direction to the committee. Solicitation of potential authors and reviewers will occur in November 2006.  Authors and reviewers should be selected by the end of February 2007.
  • Provide the Journal staff with 3-5 topics to develop for the “Ethics in Action” column in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Topics to be considered are (order indicates priority):
    • Ethical issues in long-term care including dementia.
    • Ethical issues in food service management.
    • Ethical issues in nutrigenomics.
  • Educational opportunities to educate students on the application of ethics in practice.
    Oversee the completion of 3 “Ethics in Action” columns in development:
    • “Ethical Issues in Research with Human Subjects” by Maureen B. Moran, MPH (scheduled for May or June 2006)
    • “Conflict of Interest Disclosure on Listservs” by 2005-06 Ethics Committee (scheduled for July 2006)
    • “Dealing with Controversial Topics in Dietetics” by Mindy Nelkin, RD (not scheduled).
    Progress to Date: The committee provided the Journal staff at ADA Headquarters with the topics and the potential authors for future “Ethics in Action” columns. The following articles have been published: “Conflict of Interest Disclosure on Listservs” (July 2006); “Ethical Issues in Research with Human Subjects” (September 2006).
  • Update the Code of Ethics “For Further Reading” list and distribute to members via the HOD, DPG, and Affiliate EMLs and DieteticsL.  This document will be posted to the ADA Web site.  Updates will occur in August 2006 and January 2007.
    Progress to Date: The updating of the “For Further Reading” list was completed in September 2006 and posted to the ADA Web site at www.eatright.org/ada/ada/files/ADA_CDR_Code_Of_Ethics_Reading_List.pdf .
  • Promote the Ethics Speaker’s Bureau to HOD, DPGs and Affiliates three times per year (September 2006, January 2007 and May 2007); Solicit new names for speakers and topics through the ADA House of Delegates, DPGs and Affiliates.
    Progress to Date: No action to date.
  • Implement a plan to promote the current Ethics Committee educational tools and training guide to enhance understanding and application of the Code of Ethics for the Profession of Dietetics (August 2006 and February 2007).
    Progress to Date: The promotion plan discussed and approved for implementation. Promotional materials will be released in November 2006.
  • Plan and conduct an independent ethics roundtable session during FNCE 2006. Consider development of an article for “Ethics in Action” column as a summary of the case study discussions. Initiate planning for a session during the FNCE 2007.
    Progress to Date: The Ethics Committee conducted an independent ethics roundtable session during FNCE 2006. A total of 9 member participated in the roundtable session. A discussion of 3 ethics case studies was conducted.  A plan to further disseminate the case studies is under discussion by the committee. A program session proposal entitled “Ethical Issues in Collecting Data in Dietetics Practice” was submitted for FNCE 2007.
  • Conduct one meeting (FNCE, October 2006) and a minimum of six conference calls to address issues before the Ethics Committee.
    Progress to Date: The committee has met two times via conference call and met face-to-face in Honolulu during FNCE 2006.

If you have any questions related to the Code of Ethics, please contact the Ethics mailbox (ethics@eatright.org) or one of the ADA staff contacts, Harold Holler (hholler@eatright.org or 800/877-1600, ext. 4896) or Heidi Schwartz (hschwartz@eatright.org or ext. 4893).

2006-2007 Ethics Committee
Julie O’Sullivan-Maillet, PhD, RD, FADA, Chair (BOD Representative)
Alice Fornari, EdD, RD (HOD Representative)
Cheryl Bittle, PhD, RD LD (CDR Representative)
Harold Holler, RD, ADA Staff
Heidi Schwartz, MS, RD, CSP, ADA Staff
Craig Busey, ADA Legal Counsel

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