It is critically important to people suffering from food allergies or intolerances to make sure they know exactly what ingredients are in the foods they are consuming. Technological advances in the automated food services industry can ensure patients receive meals that are safe and allergen free, in accordance with the dietary restrictions of each patient. Food service automation arms hospitals and health care facilities with the tools they need to provide cooks, hospital staff and catering companies with the tools to produce not only safe meals for those with severe allergies, but do it efficiently, cutting costs, eliminating waste and increasing employee productivity.
One in four patients have some type of food allergy or intolerance which can range from mild to severe. Reactions can be sudden, coming on within minutes. Therefore it is extremely important to identify patients with specific food allergies. Reactions can be devastating, long lasting and even fatal.
Through automation, patients who are prone to allergic reactions or have other food sensitivities can be assured that the meals coming to them are safe. Patient history and needs are provided through hospital staff and the patient at time of admission, using food service automation, menus can be built based on a patients dietary restrictions. Therefore, the significant risks to patients who need allergen-free diets can be avoided, as well as the extra costs and time involved preparing improper meals.
Vision Software’s Diet Office and menu management applications function in tandem with the Diet History application, using an electronically maintained patient record for use by both clinical professionals and diet office personnel. Diet Office automation supports a “call center” and spoken menu approach to meal service, placing each patient’s menu in front of your service team in real-time. Personnel can view the diet order, along with any special restrictions and requests. Vision’s food allergy automation, automatically substitute’s harmful foods with foods that are safe for the patient to consume, in real time. The allergy module comes standard, at no additional charge. As well, staff can offer options, add write-ins, and walk through the entire menu selection process with a patient, ensuring 100% compliance with dietary orders. Empower your team and enhance productivity with the technology to serve patients personally and accurately, and support on-demand ordering systems. Diet office software integrates fully with patient care records, HL7 compliant interfaces for reliable patient data, menu checking applications, and food service systems.
Food services in hospitals and health care facilities have come a long way since the days when patients would pick and choose their food choices off a menu. Technology is rapidly changing the way hospitals and staff provide nutritious, allergen-free, healthy meals to patients while increasing accuracy and efficiency which lead to fewer mistakes, patient satisfaction and reduced costs.
Hospitals are embracing today’s advancements in technology when it comes to food preparation, menu planning, distribution, and safety. Above all though, the most important thing advance technologies in food service and automation programs offers is increased health and well-being of the patients they serve.
Vision Software provides user-friendly software solutions that make hospital food services more efficient, allowing staff and nurses to focus on better health care and patient outcomes.