Content provided in partnership with

Health Care Industry

Using nutrition technology to feed data-hungry managers: with the right software, information systems can add speed and accuracy to the facility's dietary operations

Nursing Homes, July, 2004 by Brenda Richardson

Application of information technology (IT) to nutrition in long-term care is increasing as providers strive to offer better customer service and positive nutritional outcomes while maintaining and improving daily operations. Today's IT for nutrition offers everything from complete dietary department management systems (purchasing, receiving, inventory, menu and meal planning, clinical nutrition, and overall systems integration) to individual software components designed for specific tasks. Current trends in LTC dietary IT systems include areas listed in table 1.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Most Popular Articles in Health: Fuel your workout: exercisers who eat before they work out have more energy ...; Soothe a dry, itchy scalp: 5 easy expert solutions; Cocktails and calories: Beer, wine and liquor calories can really add up. ...; The sour truth about apple cider vinegar - evaluation of therapeutic use; The, six best supplements you've never heard of: these secret weapons can ...; More »

Significant cost savings through the use of nutrition software and databases have been reported. With proper IT use, accuracy of operations can be improved, while overall labor time is decreased. In fact, a retirement services company in Ohio operating 11 nursing centers reduced average daily food cost for each of its 2,700 residents by 10%. Individual meal costs dropped from $5.28 to $4.74, resulting in more than $500,000 in annual savings. Suppliers (see selected list, table 2) of nutrition-related IT are increasing and expanding the features available with it.

Integration of nutrition-related IT with overall facility IT systems has been on the rise, as well. For example, Alma Sudderth, MS, RD, LD, senior vice-president of sales, marketing, and business development for SureQuest Systems, Inc., noted that facilities are now including the writing of interfaces as a part of their contract. In the case of this company's product, the interface allows data to be imported from the facility's patient information system to SureQuest's Three Squares[R] Nutrition and Food Service Management Software. Information such as the current "diet order" can be imported from the patient information system to generate a meal/tray card. This ensures that the diet order is accurate when printing meal orders for the patient.

PDAs and Nutrition Management

Portability of nutrition-related IT is an emerging trend with the increased use of personal digital assistants (PDAs). A poll conducted by Today's Dietitian magazine found that 30% of dietitians use PDAs in their practices, and 35% are considering buying them. Registered dietitians state that the clinical documentation workload can be reduced by as much as 50% when using nutrition-related IT. PDAs can assist with data entry, assessments, calculations, tracking, database lookup (foods, nutrients, drugs, enteral formulas, etc.), and learning (some manuals are available on PDAs). A noticeable trend is that PDAs are quickly taking the place of traditional nutritional calculators.

Companies such as Dietary Software, Inc. offer handheld computers for dietary professionals. Handhelds can be extremely useful to nutrition professionals in LTC. The nutritional software is used with clinical nutrition assessments and medical nutrition therapy, while retaining all the functionality of a PalmPilot[TM]. Information can be entered into a main computer when it is available or into the PDA anywhere and anytime. The information is synchronized, new information replaces old information, and data are stored in multiple locations. Confidential data are then protected through use of a security password or auto-lock availability.

PDAs are often used as a companion to larger systems and are primarily used in nutrition for:

* Bedside menu entry

* Food inventory management

* Resident/patient assessment

* Resident/patient tracking

* 24-hour recalls and food records

In selecting the right handheld, it is important to check on details such as the operating system (Palm OS[R] or Pocket PC), storage capacity, features, screen quality, weight, size, and battery life. Privacy safeguards should be available for all protected healthcare information, and the PDA software should be designed for compliance with HIPAA requirements. The PDA informational resource http://pdaRD.com offers expert advice from registered dietitians on buying a PDA, looking for software, seeking tech solutions, and using PDAs to enhance nutrition practice or business. The Web site offers informative and up-to-date comparison charts on handhelds, as well as information on LTC nutritionrelated software and database companies for handhelds.

Summary

Although the state of nutrition-related IT changes daily, "technologically ready" options are available to achieve desired results. You can prevent your facility information system from being "nutritionally deficient" by knowing the types of nutrition-related IT available to the industry and determining which system is right for you. Nutrition-related IT can be incorporated into your facility's overall IT plan to prepare for comprehensive regulatory compliance, financial management of food service operations, and precise execution of medical nutrition therapy.

Health Care Industry

Using nutrition technology to feed data-hungry managers: with the right software, information systems can add speed and accuracy to the facility's dietary operations

Nursing Homes, July, 2004 by Brenda Richardson

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Autos

Most Popular Articles in Health

Most Popular Publications in Health