Why do hospitals and GP clinics refer their patients to dietitians when they need nutrition advice?

Dietitians are trained nutrition scientists who have graduated from an accredited Australian university course or have completed an examination if they trained in an overseas university.

You may have seen ‘APD’ at the end of a dietitian’s name. APD stands for accredited practising dietitian, and it is a credential that is recognised by the Australian Government.

An APD is qualified to assess a person’s nutritional needs and develop personalised eating plans that consider medical conditions and personal circumstances.

After a minimum of four years of study at university, accredited practising dietitians need to undergo at least 30 hours of training and education programs every year to ensure they are up-to-date with credible nutrition information. When you see an APD, you can be confident that the advice you get is safe and based on solid scientific evidence.^1,2

Find out if a dietitian has current status as an APD by searching for their name on the website below.

Search APDs
 

References:
1. Dietitians Australia. Why Choose an Accredited Practising Dietitian? Dietitians Australia, 2021:
Available from: https://dietitiansaustralia.org.au/what-dietitans-do/choosing-your-nutritionexpert/
2. Dietitians Australia. Accredited Practising Dietitian Program. Dietitians Australia, 2021.
Available from: https://dietitiansaustralia.org.au/maintaining-professional-standards/apdprogram/