American Dietetic Association and the National Kidney Foundation Standards of Practice and Standards of Professional Performance for registered dietitians (generalist, specialty, and advanced) in nephrology care.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) Renal Dietitians Practice Group (RPG) and the National Kidney Foundation Council on Renal Nutrition (NKF CRN), under the guidance of the ADA Quality Management Committee and Scope of Dietetics Practice Framework Sub-Committee, have developed the Standards of Practice (SOP) and Standards of Professional Performance (SOPP) for Registered Dietitians (Generalist, Specialty, and Advanced) in Nephrology Care (Supplementary Figures 1, 2, and 3 are available only online at www.jrnjournal.org). The SOP and SOPP documents are based upon the 2008 Revised Standards of Practice in Nutrition Care and Standards of Professional Performance for Registered Dietitians (RDs)(1), which are part of ADA's Scope of Dietetics Practice Framework(2). The 2008 Revised SOP in Nutrition Care and SOPP, along with the Code of Ethics(3), guide the practice and performance of RDs in all settings.

Coaching patients to succeed in adhering to a renal diet.

As nephrology dietitians, we have the responsibility to provide useful information in understandable terms. This may involve different methods of education depending on the patients learning preferences. Once this is accomplished and we have checked for patient understanding, it is then the responsibility of the patient to adhere to the recommendations. Not all patients will follow our advice, even if they understand the rationale and know what they need to do. That is their choice. However, it is our responsibility to ensure we have provided patients with the tools they need in a way that is most conducive to modifying their behavior.