Essentials of nutrition education in medical schools: A national consensus

Medical students of the American Medical Student Association established the Nutrition Curriculum Project (NCP) with the goals of ensuring that adequate nutrition information be taught to medical students; ensuring that there be a framework for integration of nutrition topics at all levels of medical education; and formulating and disseminating essential information for nutrition assessment and management in clinical practice. As a first step, the NCP assembled a ten-member advisory board to develop a comprehensive list of nutrition topics deemed essential for the adequate training of physicians. The advisory board consisted of medical and nutrition educators, physicians, and clinical specialists representing major U.S. professional nutrition organizations. The NCP's director coordinated the decision-making process through its three iterations. Final accord on 92 topics was achieved with unanimous approval of the board in 1994. These topics, organized in five major categories, are offered as a guide to the reform of nutrition education and as the basis of a satisfactory nutrition curriculum.