Original
A Pragmatic Approach towards Healthcare Needs in Malaysia
through Student-led Dietetics Clinic
Yang Wai Yew1, Chee Winnie Siew Swee1 *, Arasu Kanimolli1, Alphonso Augustin Ambrose Charmaine
Lavinia1, Samingan Nur Adila1, Sahathevan Sharmela1, Wong Ting Xuan1, Yap Zi Qian1, Soh Pheh Huang1
1

Division of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, International Medical University, Bukit Jalil,
Kuala Lumpur, 57000, Malaysia
ABSTRACT Background and purpose While the concept of student-led clinics is well-established,
the available evidence has been limited to multidisciplinary teams, and in North America. There is anotable gap in researching and implementing this model within dietetics, especially in resource-scarceand high disease-burden developing countries. Methods. The student-led dietetics clinic began withthe formation of a project management team, a 2-tier team in December 2022. The implementation ofSDC was carefully considered by multiple factors including operation, finance, and public outreach.
The academic team consist of faculty members providing guidance and oversight on the setting up
and operations of the clinic to meet students' learning outcomes. The students’ team planned the daily
operations of the clinic and developed resources for its operations including rotation of students on
duty to manage the clinic, and strategies to obtain referrals for the clinic. Result. The student-led
dietetics clinic presents valuable opportunities for early clinical exposure, leadership development,interprofessional skills, and practising empathy. Its accessibility to address underserved community
needs should be explored more effectively. Conclusion. Therefore, this pragmatic approach not only
benefits the student dietitians’ professional development but contributes to the overall improvementof public health through specialised dietary services.
Keywords: Community dietetics, student-led clinic, education, dietary services, Malaysia

INTRODUCTION
The rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) indeveloping nations (1), highlights the urgency for aparadigm shift in dietetics education to meet thepopulation's health needs. Integrating competencybased education can optimally train dietitians as
healthcare professionals by bridging theory andpractice while developing core clinical skills (2).
Therefore, the dietetics programmes offered byhigher education institutions must evolve to meetcontemporary healthcare demands. Malaysia, an
Asian developing country, faces a significant burdenof NCDs linked to major nutrition transitions. The
latest national health survey shows the population’shigh dependency on public healthcare (3). However,there exist opportunities to address the issue throughaccessible and affordable healthcare services. Inaddition, specific health-seeking behaviours such as
the willingness to seek advice from healthcare

Professionals and paying out of pocket could be
advantageous for dietetics services offered privately.
Global shortages of clinical placement for allied
health professionals including student dietitians,
necessitate innovative solutions. The international
competency standards for dietitians stipulated theminimum competencies to be met at the point ofentry. In Malaysia, student dietitians must fulfil 1200
hours of dietetics practicum, mostly in hospitals andprimary care facilities. While the concept of a
student-led clinic is underexplored in dietetics indeveloping countries (4), a student-led dietetics clinic
emerges as a pragmatic approach to address thedemand effectively (5). The student-led clinicpresents valuable opportunities for early clinicalexposure, leadership development, interprofessional
skills, and practising empathy. Additionally, thestudent-led clinics can be more accessible andaffordable, addressing underserved community needs
more effectively---------------------------------------------------------* Correspondence author: Winnie Chee
winnie_chee@imu.edu.my15

Student-led dietetics clinic in Malaysia
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The setting up of a student-led dietetics clinic(SDC) in a local private university began with theformation of a project management team, a 2-tier
team in December 2022 (Figure 1). The
implementation of SDC was carefully considered bymultiple factors including operation, finance, andpublic outreach. The academic team consist of faculty
members providing guidance and oversight on thesetting up and operations of the clinic to meet
students' learning outcomes. The students’ teamplanned the daily perations of the clinic anddeveloped resources for its operations including
rotation of students on duty to manage the clinic, andstrategies to obtain referrals for the clinic. The
specific activities include public announcements onsocial media, booking of appointments, managing thepatient flow, patient consent and confidentiality
process, patient documentation and collecting patient
feedback on the services provided.

Project teamAdvisory committee

Project Owner

Project Manager

Operations
Coordinator(Dietetics Practicum)

Public Outreach /Community
RelationsOperations
Coordinator(Project andResources)

Public Outreach /Community
RelationsOperations
Coordinator(Project andResources)

Finance

Student project teamOperations
Coordinator(Dietetics Practicum)

Figure 1: Student-led dietetics clinic project management team

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FinanceAsian Journal of Dietetics, 2024
RESULTS
Launched in August 2023, the SDC served as a freeclinic and a clinical training site for the final-year
dietetics programme, supervised by clinicaleducators. The Nutrition Care Process was fully
implemented in managing patients supported bymulti-frequency body impedance analysis (Figure 3),anthropometry kits, real food models, and householdmeasurement tools. Physical copies of patient
documentation using ADIME, and medical
documents were stored confidentially. Since its
inception, a total of 138 patients received individual
consultations (Figure 2), and 90 individuals haveundergone nutrition screening which mainly consistsof students and working professionals in theuniversity. The student dietitians were able to provide
medical nutrition therapy primarily for obesity,
diabetes, and hyperlipidaemia. All patients seen
expressed their satisfaction with the services provided
including the quality of nutrition care provided
especially on personalised advice and new
information acquired, activities conducted, ease of
making appointments, minimal waiting times, andoverall benefits.
Figure 3: Body composition analysis using a multifrequency body impedance analyser

The activities created the learning opportunity to
conduct nutrition screening, manage adult-related
NCDs through individual diet consultation, andimplement a thematic-based group education project(Figure 4 and Figure 5) for the community in the formof live talks, webinars, or recorded videos (Figure 6and Figure 7). The free dietetics services by SDC
were promoted to increase public awareness throughparticipation in health events and fairs (Figure 8).

Figure 2: Individual diet consultation by a student
dietitian as part of their daily activities

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Student-led dietetics clinic in Malaysia

Figure 5: Healthy meal preparation workshop during aweight management campaign

Figure 4: Group education session on malnutrition among
the elderly conducted by student dietitians

Figure 6: Educational videos on various nutrition-related topics for different target populations

Figure 7: Live webinars to educate on medical
nutrition therapy for non-communicable diseases

Figure 8: Name18

Asian Journal of Dietetics, 2024
DISCUSSIONACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A key advantage of SDC is the student-led approach
while maintaining skills development throughcontinuous feedback and guidance from theregistered dietitians to the student dietitians. The
student board plays a pivotal role in overseeing allclinic aspects, including delivering diet consultations,programme development, and daily operations
management. This structure fosters transparency andallows younger students to volunteer and participate
in clinic activities, gaining valuable insights into
clinical settings. The hands-on experience not only
allows all stakeholders to be involved inmanagement, planning, and implementation but also
provides beneficial exposure into the diverse andevolving needs of patients.

We thanked the student committees from twocohorts (DN119 and DN120) who took charge of
operations coordination in dietetic practicum, public
outreach and community relations, operations
coordination in project and resources, and finance.
We would also like to thank the International Medical
University for their support in the establishment of
the student-led clinic in the setting.

REFERENCES
1.

For student dietitians, the advantages of the SDC aremultifaceted. Firstly, it offers a unique opportunity toapply and refine the skills acquired during their final
year academic journey, providing practicalexperiences to work with real patients in an authentic
clinical environment. Secondly, it provides a platform
to develop effective communication strategies,
fostering connections with patients from diverse
backgrounds and age groups. Thirdly, students will
receive invaluable feedback from supervisingprofessionals, enhancing their documentation,practical skills, and decision-making abilities. This
mentorship is recognized as a critical component in
the dietetics workforce preparation and at the earlystages of one's professional career (6). In addition, theSDC plays a pivotal role in nurturing professionalism
and altruism, contributing to their growth ascompassionate healthcare practitioners.

2.

3.

4.

In conclusion, the SDC has the potential to address
the gap in dietetics training in Malaysia by providing
timely and cost-free dietetics services. Establishing
the SDC elevated the experience of dietetics students
by offering a unique platform to foster
entrepreneurship, leadership, teamwork and problemsolving
skillsbesidesenhancingclinicalcompetencies and improving client interactions.
These are real-world experiences to prepare workready graduates for the country in combating NCDs.
Ensuring the sustainability of SDC requires securing
funding, expanding partnerships, integrating it into
healthcare systems, and leveraging telehealthopportunities.

5.

6.

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