technology

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.

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.

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.