An Evaluation of a Dietitian-Led Webinar for Adults With Coeliac Disease: A Positive Change in Gluten-Free Food Knowledge and Behaviours.

INTRODUCTION

The only treatment for coeliac disease is the exclusion of all gluten from the diet. Adherence to a gluten free (GF) diet requires knowledge acquisition and changes in behaviours. The service evaluation aimed to evaluate the impact of a dietitian-led webinar for adults with coeliac disease.

METHODS

The pre-recorded dietitian-led webinar had been developed by specialist dietitians and gastroenterologists and was integrated into a patient pathway. A pre- and post-webinar online survey was designed to evaluate the impact of the webinar for adult patients with coeliac disease. Patients were invited to complete an online survey prior to accessing the webinar. Four weeks later, the patients were invited to complete the post-webinar survey.

RESULTS

The webinar was accessed by 1050 adults with coeliac disease, of which 57% were diagnosed within the preceding 8 weeks. In patients who completed both surveys, there was a significant improvement in confidence (p < 0.001) and knowledge (p < 0.001) to follow a GF diet (n = 165). Among patients who reported gastrointestinal symptoms on gluten ingestion (n = 71), a greater proportion reported satisfactory symptom relief after watching the webinar (p = 0.02). Behaviours to minimise gluten ingestion were positively impacted, whereby a higher proportion of patients reported to 'doing things to avoid eating gluten when preparing in the home' and 'having GF foods on hand while they are out' (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The dietitian-led webinar enabled timely access to high-quality resources from specialists. Access to the webinar positively impacted knowledge and behaviours to minimise gluten ingestion. This is a practical and inexpensive solution to enable specialist dietitians to utilise their skills and finite time for appointments with patients with more complex presentations.