Being a Nutritionist* is like being a detective. You have to uncover what is interfering with your clients good health. Assessment tools are an indispensable tool for your investigation.
What are assessment tools?
Sometimes Assessment Tools are called questionnaires or evaluations. An Assessment Tool in an intake form for a cluster of symptoms, eating behaviours or living conditions. If a client has a cluster of gut related symptoms an intake form will help you asses if you need to further investigate. You can isolate if symptoms are general or getting more specific and those specific symptoms can help you uncover the underlying root causes.
Your Client intake form is your foundational Assessment Tool. In addition to that, I use these 3 Assessment Tools the most when working with female clients:
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The Women’s Hormones Assessment Tool
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The Stress & Motivation Assessment Tool
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If there is bloating, gas or other digestive disturbance then the The SIBO Questionnaire
Where do you find Trusted Assessment tools?
You can find good Assessment Tools as part of courses where they are offered as resources. You can also find them through your own research. However, there is no one place where they are all accessible. It is also challenging to know which ones to use and trust. Don’t end up relying on Pinterest for good assessment tools!
The 5 Steps in analyzing Assessment Tools
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Critically analyze the assessment questions. Are they outdated, are they applicable to your client demographic, do the questions work toward getting the answer you need?
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Is the tool recommended by a teacher or mentor?
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Have your peers used them and recommended them?
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How is its ease of use. Do your clients like using it?
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Do you get results?
Do you need to use further Assessment Tools?
The answer’s to these questionnaires, the client’s symptoms and family history may suggest further testing. These further tests would be the DUTCH test and a Stool test. They are costly so it is important to share your testing suggestions using concrete examples from their questionnaires and collected intake forms.
How do assessment tools give you confidence in your business?
Assessment tools are invaluable in building confidence in your practice. Personally, I feel more confident with science backing me up. Seeing tangible numbers so I can show clients where they stand and what the goal is immeasurably helpful. For example if estrogen metabolism is sluggish, the DUTCH test can show clearly which phase(s) needs work, and whether the estrogen metabolite ratios are optimal. Lab work provides qualitative and quantitative measurement tools that can show clients where their progress is being made and can help identify with a functional lens what may be a contributing factor to their health status.
How Assessment Tools help the practitioner:
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build confidence
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backed by science
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measure treatment effectiveness
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A baseline to set client goals from
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Uncovers all the possible symptoms
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saves client office time
How assessment tools help the client:
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Help identify contributing factors
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science-based measurable success
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Tangible numbers to base goals off of
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a deeper understanding of their health
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illuminates the many involved factors
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gives clients a sense of privacy and empowerment
How do I learn about assessment tools?
If you are not learning about Assessment Tools as part of your course work or ongoing educational training then self study is the best option.
You can learn more about assessment tools in my online course, Mastering Functional Lab Testing for Nutritionists. The first module discusses many home tests your client can perform at home, then we move onto lab tests that clients can order online without a doctor’s referral.
*Holistic Nutritionist, Registered nutritionists, Functional Nutritionist