In the Estonian health care system, nutrition counseling is not offered as a health service financed from public funds, but is offered in the private market by nutrition counselors and therapists with different training and educational background, only a few of whom have applied for the corresponding profession. The results of AS Emor’s 2023 study reveal that, according to GPs, the variable level of service providers is a problem when referring patients to nutrition counseling, which has led to problems for patients. Unfortunately, the study does not reveal whether the cause of the problem was the lack of knowledge and non-scientific beliefs of the nutritionist or therapist, or the tools and materials used by the nutritionist.

Due to the limited availability of nutrition counseling services,GPs, nurses and occupational health doctors (including those without special knowledge of nutrition) in the healthcare system offer primary assessment of eating habits and nutritional counseling to patients as part of other services. Since the amount of nutrition courses in medical and nursing education is minimal, science-based materials and easy-to-use tools are essential. There is no overview of how many and which tools and materials nutritionists and therapists and primary health care workers use when counseling their clients or patients, or which tools or materials are used by their clients or patients at home. Therefore, it is not known what information the tools contain, whether they are up-to-date and evidence-based. In addition, it is not known whether and which tools the representatives of the mentioned professions would need to provide nutrition counseling services, or whether and how the existing tools and materials could be further developed or supplemented.

Thus, the National Institute of Health Development requires an overview of the nutritional materials used by nutritionists, nutrition therapists and primary care specialists. Based on the review, it is possible to analyze the content and evidence-based nature of the tools used.