Oklahoma Administrative Code
Title 435 - State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision
Chapter 35 - Licensed Dietitians and Provisional Dietitians
Section 435:35-1-4 - Standards of professional conduct
Universal Citation: OK Admin Code 435:35-1-4
Current through Vol. 42, No. 1, September 16, 2024
(a) Purpose. The rules in this section on the profession of dietetics shall be to establish the standards of professional conduct required of a licensee.
(b) Statutory standards. Examples of activities included in the statutory definition of dietetics are as follows:
(1) Planning, developing,
controlling and evaluation of food service systems.
(2) Coordinating and integrating clinical and
administrative aspects of dietetics to provide quality nutritional care.
(3) Establishing and maintaining
standards of food production, service, sanitation, safety and
security.
(4) Planning, conducting
and evaluating educational programs relating to nutritional care.
(5) Developing menu patterns and evaluating
them for nutritional adequacy.
(6)
Planning layout designs and determining equipment requirements for food service
facilities.
(7) Developing
specifications for the procurement of food and food service equipment and
supplies.
(8) Developing and
implementing plans of nutritional care for individuals, both enteral and
parenteral, based on assessment of nutritional needs.
(9) Counseling and educating individuals,
families and groups in nutritional principles, meal patterns and plans, insulin
administration, food selection, food and drug interactions, and economics, as
appropriate.
(10) Communicating
appropriate diet history and nutritional care data through written and
electronic record systems.
(11)
Participating with physicians and allied health personnel as the provider of
nutritional care using tools and procedures such as, but not limited to, diet
histories, calipers, BMI tables, finger stick blood sugar measurements, blood
pressure and vital sign measurement, oral cavity assessment, and
nutrition-focused physical exam.
(12) Planning, conducting or participating in
and interpreting, evaluating and utilizing pertinent current research related
to nutritional care.
(13) Providing
consultation and nutritional care to community groups and identifying and
evaluating needs to establish priorities for community nutrition
programs.
(14) Publishing and
evaluating technical and lay food and nutrition publications for all age,
socioeconomic and ethnic groups.
(15) Planning, conducting and evaluating
dietary studies and participating in nutritional epidemiologic studies with a
nutritional component.
(c) Code of Ethics. The following shall constitute a code of ethics in dietetics:
(1)
Professional representation and
responsibilities.
(A) A licensee shall
not misrepresent any professional qualifications or credentials.
(B) A licensee shall not make any false or
misleading claims about the efficacy of any services or methods of treatment.
(C) A licensee shall not permit
the use of his/her name for the purpose of certifying that dietetic services
have been rendered unless he/she has provided or supervised the provision of
those services.
(D) A licensee
shall not promote or endorse products in a manner that is false or misleading.
(E) A licensee shall maintain
knowledge and skills required for continuing professional competence.
(F) A licensee shall not abuse
alcohol or drugs in any manner which detrimentally affects the provision of
nutritional services.
(G) A
licensee shall comply with the provisions of the Oklahoma Controlled Substances
Act, 63 O.S. 1981, Sections 2-101 et seq.
(H) A licensee shall have the responsibility
of reporting alleged misrepresentations or violations of Board rules to the
office of the Board.
(I) A licensee
shall keep his/her Board file updated by notifying the executive secretary of
changes in preferred mailing address.
(J) A licensee shall not make any false,
misleading or deceptive claims in any advertisement, announcement, or in
competitive bidding.
(K) A licensee
shall not aid or abet, directly or indirectly, the practice of dietetics by any
person not duly authorized under the laws of Oklahoma.
(L) A licensee shall not violate any
provision of the Academy's Code of Ethics for the Profession.
(2)
Professional
relationships with clients.
(A) A
licensee shall make known to a prospective client the important aspects of the
professional relationship including fees and arrangement for payment which
might affect the client's decision to enter into the relationship.
(B) A licensee shall not receive or give a
commission or rebate or any other form of remuneration for the referral of
clients for professional services.
(C) A licensee shall disclose to clients any
interest in commercial enterprises which the licensee promotes for the purpose
of personal gain or profit.
(D) A
licensee shall take reasonable action to inform a client's physician and any
appropriate allied health care provider in cases where a client's nutritional
status indicates a change in medical status.
(E) A licensee shall provide nutritional
services without discrimination based on race, creed, sex, religion, national
origin or age.
(F) A licensee shall
not violate any provision of any federal or state statute relating to
confidentiality of client communication and/or records.
(3)
Academy's Code of Ethics -
Principles and Standards.
(A)
Competence and professional development in practice (Non-maleficence) Nutrition
and dietetics practitioners shall:
(i)
Practice using an evidence-based approach within areas of competence,
continuously develop and enhance expertise, and recognize
limitations.
(ii) Demonstrate in
depth scientific knowledge of food, human nutrition and behavior.
(iii) Assess the validity and applicability
of scientific evidence without personal bias.
(iv) Interpret, apply, participate in and/or
generate research to enhance practice, innovation, and discovery.
(v) Make evidence-based practice decisions,
taking into account the unique values and circumstances of the patient/client
and community, in combination with the practitioner's expertise and judgment.
(vi) Recognize and exercise
professional judgment within the limits of individual qualifications and
collaborate with others, seek counsel, and make referrals as appropriate.
(vii) Act in a caring and
respectful manner, mindful of individual differences, cultural, and ethnic
diversity.
(viii) Practice within
the limits of their scope and collaborate with the inter-professional
team.
(B) Integrity in
personal and organizational behaviors and practices (Autonomy) Nutrition and
dietetics practitioners shall:
(i) Disclose
any conflicts of interest, including any financial interests in products or
services that are recommended. Refrain from accepting gifts or services which
potentially influence or which may give the appearance of influencing
professional judgment.
(ii) Comply
with all applicable laws and regulations, including obtaining/maintaining a
state license or certification if engaged in practice governed by nutrition and
dietetics statutes.
(iii) Maintain
and appropriately use credentials.
(iv) Respect intellectual property rights,
including citation and recognition of the ideas and work of others, regardless
of the medium (e.g. written, oral, electronic).
(v) Provide accurate and truthful information
in all communications.
(vi) Report
inappropriate behavior or treatment of a patient/client by another nutrition
and dietetics practitioner or other professionals.
(vii) Document, code and bill to most
accurately reflect the character and extent of delivered services.
(viii) Respect patient/client's autonomy.
Safeguard patient/client confidentiality according to current regulations and
laws.
(ix) Implement appropriate
measures to protect personal health information using appropriate techniques
(e.g., encryption).
(C)
Professionalism (Beneficence) - Nutrition and dietetics practitioners shall:
(i) Participate in and contribute to
decisions that affect the well-being of patients/clients.
(ii) Respect the values, rights, knowledge,
and skills of colleagues and other professionals.
(iii) Demonstrate respect, constructive
dialogue, civility and professionalism in all communications, including social
media.
(iv) Refrain from
communicating false, fraudulent, deceptive, misleading, disparaging or unfair
statements or claims.
(v) Uphold
professional boundaries and refrain from romantic relationships with any
patients/clients, surrogates, supervisees, or students.
(vi) Refrain from
verbal/physical/emotional/sexual harassment.
(vii) Provide objective evaluations of
performance for employees, coworkers, and students and candidates for
employment, professional association memberships, awards, or scholarships,
making all reasonable efforts to avoid bias in the professional evaluation of
others.
(viii) Communicate at an
appropriate level to promote health literacy.
(ix) Contribute to the advancement and
competence of others, including colleagues, students, and the public.
(D) Social
responsibility for local, regional, national, global nutrition and well-being
(Justice) - Nutrition and dietetics practitioners shall:
(i) Collaborate with others to reduce health
disparities and protect human rights.
(ii) Promote fairness and objectivity with
fair and equitable treatment.
(iii)
Contribute time and expertise to activities that promote respect, integrity,
and competence of the profession.
(iv) Promote the unique role of nutrition and
dietetics practitioners.
(v) Engage
in service that benefits the community and to enhance the public's trust in the
profession.
(vi) Seek leadership
opportunities in professional, community, and service organizations to enhance
health and nutritional status while protecting the public.
Amended at 17 Ok Reg 1833, eff 4-18-00 (emergency); Amended at 18 Ok Reg 1319, eff 5-11-01
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Oklahoma may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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