Preparing patients to receive nutrition care using telehealth
While telehealth may be new to some patients, others may be very comfortable using technology for their tele-nutrition care and services.
On this page:
Educating and engaging patients
Educating and engaging patients in nutrition care requires meeting them where they are- emotionally and physically. You can do this by tailoring guidance to their unique circumstances, readiness for change, and available resources. Key considerations include:
- Technology assessment. Ensure the patient has the necessary technology and required skills to successfully use telehealth.
- Telehealth preferences. Find out the ways the patient would like to use technology for their nutrition care. Assess if the patient is comfortable doing one-on-one sessions via telehealth, if they are willing to participate in group sessions remotely, or if they are interested in using digital health tools and mobile apps. Assist patients in selecting technologies and tools that align with their individual needs and personal preferences.
- Available tools and resources. Help patients understand the wide range of telehealth technologies and digital tools that can support their nutrition and dietary goals. This empowers them to actively engage in their care and build sustainable, healthy habits. Potential resources include online tools to track diet and exercise, mobile health apps, interactive resources, and devices to support self-monitoring.
Creating a nutrition care plan
Work with your patient to develop a technology-enabled strategy that aligns with their nutrition goals. This collaborative approach ensures that care is tailored to the individual’s needs. To ensure effectiveness, consider the following factors:
- Availability and access to healthy food. Assess whether the patient has regular access to fresh, affordable foods. Use telehealth sessions to identify food deserts or transportation barriers. Connect patients with food resources, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), and food banks and pantries. Nutrition apps can help identify nearby stores with healthy options. Other apps enable online grocery shopping with free or low-cost delivery.
- Engagement of family or caregivers. Include family members or caregivers in telehealth visits when appropriate. This is especially important if they assist with meal planning, cooking, or shopping. Use group video calls or patient portals to share recipes, schedules, or nutrition guidelines that the household can follow together.
- Dietary limitations, preferences, and lifestyle. Use telehealth to discuss any food allergies, intolerances, or dietary needs such as gluten-free, dairy-free, or low-sodium diets. Use personalized digital meal planning tools to create safe and enjoyable menus. Mobile health apps can generate alerts or offer recommendations based on logged foods.
- Expectations for technology use. Set clear expectations about how technology will be used. This may include logging meals into a tracking app, attending virtual check-ins, or submitting photos of meals. Ensure that the tools selected are user-friendly and aligned with the patient’s comfort level and daily routine.
- Anticipating potential challenges and identifying solutions. Explore situations that might disrupt healthy eating or care. Use telehealth to develop practical strategies in advance. Examples include reviewing menus during a session, setting portion control goals, or using reminders and prompts through mobile devices.
Other reported information that may be helpful to customize a patient’s nutrition care plan include:
- Mood and behavior. Mood and emotions can trigger behaviors around food consumption. Telehealth can be used for mood tracking, generating mindful eating reminders, recording food intake, and offering real-time feedback. This increases self-awareness and encourages healthier coping strategies.
- Healthier habits. Behaviors like tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption, and a sedentary lifestyle can negatively impact physical well-being. Electronic tools such as fitness trackers, health apps, and online support programs can help individuals undertake and maintain healthy lifestyle changes.
- Tracking what is important. The focus should be on tracking things that matter, like key nutrients, portion sizes, and overall food intake. Technology tools like a nutrition calculator and food trackers make it easier to stay on top of these important details.
Using patient data to tailor care
Sharing data between visits allows providers to customize nutrition care plans in real time. It allows them to offer timely adjustments that reflect the patient’s progress, challenges, and evolving needs. This leads to more effective and responsive care. Patients can share a wide range of health and nutrition-related data with providers using telehealth platforms, secure patient portals, and connected digital health tools. Data helps providers monitor progress, personalize care, and adjust plans in real-time. Types of tools may include:
- Remote patient monitoring (RPM). Patients can monitor and send biometric data such as blood glucose levels, blood pressure readings, or body weight from home-based digital devices and wearables. For example, a digital Bluetooth-enabled weight scale can automatically transmit weight changes to the provider’s system for ongoing evaluation.
- Mobile health applications. Mobile apps are used on smartphones to track health data and provide information to patients. Patients can use mobile health applications to track diet and physical activity or set automatic reminders. This information can help providers understand the patient’s physical activity levels and align nutrition guidance with actual lifestyle behaviors.
- Patient portal. This involves information shared through an online secure messaging system between a provider and a patient that occurs at different points in time. Providers can review information submitted, such as daily food logs or symptom diaries, and message instructions to help patients manage their nutrition care.
- Artificial intelligence (AI). Both patients and providers can use AI to personalize care and receive timely information. Nutrition professionals use AI tools to develop customized nutrition care plans. Patients use AI-embedded mobile apps to track nutrition goals (e.g., protein, iron) using pictures of the food they eat. Chatbots generate timely information and offer nutritional advice.
Tip: It is important that patients understand how to collect and upload their data as well as how to use their data to help them achieve their goals.
Using technology to personalize care
Technology has advanced our ability to customize nutrition to reflect individual differences. The ways technology can be used to tailor health care continue to evolve. Some innovative examples include:
- Artificial intelligence. Predicting nutrient needs by detecting gaps in diet.
- Big data analytics. Predicting patient health trends based on eating habits and physical activity.
- Electronic data integration. Automatically integrating data from wearable devices or uploading data from mobile health apps into the electronic health record to provide a more holistic understanding of a patient’s health.
More information:
Introducing patients to telehealth — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Preparing patients for telehealth — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Nutrition and Fitness — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Dining Decisions Mobile App — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Online nutrition tools — U.S. Department of Agriculture
Nutrition.gov — U.S. Department of Agriculture
MyPlate — U.S. Department of Agriculture
MOVE!Coach — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Live Whole Health — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Spotlight
The Center for Health Improvement at CoxHealth in Springfield, Missouri offers comprehensive telehealth services to help patients prevent and manage chronic conditions. Through a federal grant, CoxHealth expanded their use of telehealth to provide nutrition care and services for rural patients. Services include using telehealth to provide classes for chronic disease education and self-management. CoxHealth also uses technology to deliver medical nutrition therapy for a range of issues including food allergies and eating disorders.
Learn more about CoxHealth’s Center for Health Improvement.