Digital platform supports personalized diet goals in primary care for diabetes
A new study evaluates Nutri, a clinical decision support tool for brief diet counseling in safety-net clinics, created by UT researchers.
Findings about a diet-counseling support tool developed by health researchers at The University of Texas at Austin show that primary care providers (PCPs) who used the system consistently found it usable and satisfactory, and that patients were able to engage with the intervention effectively. The recent study appeared in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier, and it evaluated the feasibility of Nutri, a user-centered digital platform designed to support personalized, evidence-based diet goal setting during routine primary care visits for patients with type 2 diabetes.
Researchers conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial across a network of federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in Texas. Sixteen PCPs and 30 of their adult patients with diabetes or prediabetes participated in the study. Nutri synthesized patient dietary recall data using a rules-based expert system, prioritizing key dietary issues and guiding collaborative goal setting between provider and patient within a standard primary care visit.
Results showed that PCPs used Nutri in 100% of eligible appointments, with a satisfaction score of 3.8 out of 5 and above-average usability ratings. Patients, most of whom were from underserved communities, engaged with the intervention successfully, with 81% reporting that they set a diet goal with their provider and over half initiating that goal within one week.
“PCPs are on the front lines of diabetes care but often lack the time and training for effective nutrition counseling,” said lead author Marissa Burgermaster, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences and population health at The University of Texas at Austin. “Nutri integrates into the visit workflow and supports shared decision-making, making it easier for providers and patients to set actionable dietary goals.”
The study provides a foundation for a future large-scale trial to evaluate Nutri’s effectiveness in improving diet quality and clinical outcomes. Researchers note that digital tools like Nutri may help close nutrition care gaps, particularly in low-resource settings, by making dietary counseling more efficient, accessible and personalized.
Adapted from a release prepared by the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Listen also to a podcast conversation from the journal with the lead author.
