Evaluación de un programa de alimentación y cuidado materno-infantil dirigido a personal de salud / Nutrition education program on maternal-child nursing to hospital personal

Se diseñó, implementó y evaluó un programa de capacitación en el área de alimentación materno infantil a tres tipos de personal hospitalario (trabajadoras sociales, enfermeras y médicos) que pertenecían a un hospital de gineco-obstetricia, ya que fueron el personal con mayor contacto con las mujeres embarazadas que acuden a la institución. Se aplicó un cuestionario de 14 preguntas de opción múltiple como instrumento de evaluación, al iniciar el programa y a su término a todos los grupos. Se encontró que el aprovechamiento por temas fue en general satisfactorio presentándose mayores dificultades en el tema de "Bases de alimentación"; el grupo de médicos obtuvo un nivel de conocimiento inicial superior con respecto a los otros grupos; las trabajadoras sociales lograron el mayor aprovechamiento al término del curso

Design and implementation of a computerized diet order entry system for a hospital.

A computerized diet entry system was developed to control entry of diet orders by hospital ward clerks from an established list of items. Three reporting systems were then designed for delivery of the computerized order to the Nutrition Services Department. One report contains only essential information and is printed instantly upon entry for confirmation of a "stat" diet order. Another report collates diet orders by time periods and then organizes them by wards and sequentially by room number. That report is then used for diet changes prior to meal service. The third report stores advance diet orders and test diet orders and reports them upon the date they are to be served. Diet orders are also collated and retained in the system, in sequential order for each patient, to allow for an instant report of the patient's diet history upon demand. This computerized diet order system has resolved problems regarding receipt of complete information required for a diet order and receipt of a diet order for all patients. An overview of the information support system used by the Nutrition Services Department, which was created from programs developed for other hospital departments, is also presented.

Comparison of conventional, cook-chill, and cook-freeze foodservice systems.

Although the conventional system remains the predominant choice for hospital foodservice, alternative systems such as cook-chill and cook-freeze are prevalent as well. Many foodservice directors have reported improvements in operational and financial indicators when switching from a conventional to one of the alternative systems. Objectives for this research included determination of parameters of operating costs in conventional, cook-chill, and cook-freeze systems and comparison of costs for the three foodservice systems. Operational and financial data were collected for 33 conventional, 22 cook-chill, and 11 cook-freeze hospital foodservice systems. Results indicated little difference among the three systems for most operational and financial variables, suggesting that, in general, managers of conventional, cook-chill, and cook-freeze systems are employing similar resources to achieve their objectives. The number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) was found to be the strongest predictor of operating costs in all three systems. Data suggest that installation of a ready-food system may not lead to savings in costs.

On-site systems. The future of central production?

Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital's new cook-chill system may be an industry trend-setter.

Food production systems; selecting the best alternatives.

It is doubtful that food quality issues will figure prominently in the decision as to which hospital a patient will check into. The quality of dietary services can, however, influence the patient's perception of the overall quality of health care services being provided. Selecting the right food production system, therefore, can help make the difference between a good lasting impression and a bad one.