Profiles
Dr Tracey Parkin
Associate Professor
School of Health Professions (Faculty of Health: Medicine, Dentistry and Human Sciences)
Role
Role
As programme lead I enjoy working with the dietetic team to ensure that we deliver a quality programme. I have an active teaching role, leading the 'dietetics in practice' module in year 3 as well as leading communication skills/behaviour change training across the 3 years of the programme. In addition I supervise final year dissertations and maintain an active role in delivering clinical supervisory skills training to practice educators across the South West.
Qualifications
I graduated from Kings College London with a degree in Nutrition, followed by a postgraduate diploma in dietetics. I went on to work as a dietitian in the NHS, covering a range of dietetic areas before specialising in diabetes. I worked as a diabetes specialist dietitian for 14 years with a strong interest in developing structured education programmes and developing communication skills. I completed my doctorate in 2012 which focuses on "empathy" and "information exchange" within the dietetic consultation. I joined the Dietetics team here at Plymouth in 2006 and have been the programme lead since 2016.
- BSc(Hons) Nutrition
- Postgraduate Diploma in Dietetics RD
- FETC
- PgCert LTHE
- FHEA
- PhD
Professional membership
- Member of the British Dietetic Association
- Registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC)
- Member of Diabetes Management and Education Group (DMEG)
- Member of Diabetes UK
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA)
Roles on external bodies
2009 - ongoing Member of the HEI Placement Network (BDA)
2015 - Member of the Practice Education Working group - for the British Dietetic Association (BDA)
Teaching interests
I teach undergraduates and postgraduates
I cover a range of dietetic areas my specialist areas are:-
- diabetes
- communication skills/behaviour change.
I teach communication skills / behaviours for effective working with patients across the 3 years of the dietetic programme. In addition I am interested in supervisory skills training and help deliver education in this area to practice educators across the South West.
Staff serving as external examiners
External Examiner MSc Advanced Diabetes Educator (Children, Young people and Families) (MDIAB), Leeds Becket University
Research interests
My research interest fall into three main areas:
Patient Education
- Communication skills around one to one consultations.
- Facilitating self care management
- Structured education programmes for people with long term/chronic conditions
Diabetes
- Dietary management of diabetes
- Prevention of diabetes
Dietetic practice
- communication /behaviour change skills training
- supervisory skills
- student training- placement education
Completed PhD students:
Linda Solbrig - "Functional Imagery Training, a novel, theory-based motivational intervention for weight-loss"
Co-supervisor completed April 2018
Key publications are highlighted
Journals
Articles
2019
'Observations on the relationship between the dietetic Objective Structured Clinical Exam and placement outcome'
Nutrition and Dietetics
, DOI
PEARL
2018
'Functional Imagery Training versus Motivational Interviewing for Weight Loss: A randomised controlled trial of brief individual interventions for overweight and obesity'
International Journal of Obesity
, DOI
PEARL
2017
'People trying to lose weight dislike calorie counting apps and want motivational support to help them achieve their goals'
Internet Interventions
PEARL
2014
'Greater professional empathy leads to higher agreement about decisions made in the consultation'
PATIENT EDUCATION AND COUNSELING
96,
(2)
144-150
, DOI
PEARL
2013
'An observational study exploring information exchange in consultations'
DIABETIC MEDICINE
30,
E9-E9
2007
'Patient and professional accuracy of recalled treatment decisions in out-patient consultations'
Diabetic Medicine
24 (5),
557-560
, DOI
2007
'Effectiveness of a computerised assessment tool to prompt individuals with diabetes to be more active in consultations'
Practical Diabetes International
24 (1),
36-41
, DOI
2006
'Does professional-centred training improve consultation outcomes?'
Practical Diabetes International
23,
(6)
253-256
, DOI
2005
'The value of empathy in dietetic consultations. A pilot study to investigate its effect on satisfaction, autonomy and agreement'
Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics
18,
(3)
181-185
, DOI
2003
'Discrepancies between patient and professionals recall and perception of an outpatient consultation'
Diabetic Medicine
20 (11),
909-914
, DOI
2002
'Diabetes education and professional roles'
Practical Diabetes International
19,
(6)
159-159
, DOI
2001
'An audit of the theoretical basis of education during dietetic consultations with diabetic patients'
Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics
14 (1),
33-42
, DOI
1997
'Patient control in dietary management'
Prof Nurse
13,
(3 Suppl)
S7-10
1997
'Promoting dietary change in patients with diabetes'
Community Nurse
3,
(6)
35-38
Posters
0
'Prohealth@home: A feasibility study exploring the use of dietitians communicating with individuals at high risk of diabetes via a web based app to reduce the risk of developing diabetes'
0
0
PEARL
Other Publications
0
Empathy: Its Significance and Monitoring in the Dietetic Consultation for Chronic Disease Management.
0
0
Publisher Site
Other academic activities
Contributed to the International Society of Paediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) Nutrition guidelines on the role of behaviour approaches in diabetes education. Out l2007