OMC room service a hit
June 13th, 2008 - 8:59am
(Port Angeles) -- After providing one year of room service to patients,
Olympic Medical Center says patient satisfaction scores have soared, while food
costs are down and environmental waste has been reduced.
Registered dietitian Christin Maks says room service dining has been a
real winner, as patients are happy to order what they want, when they want it.
Doctors and nurses are pleased when their patients eat better and feel
satisfied with good service.
According to Graciela Harris, director of nutrition services at Olympic
Medical, patient records are showing a significant improvement in how
much of a meal a patient eats.
Previously patients ate an average of 30 to 50 percent of their meals,
now patients are eating 80 to 90 percent.
Maks says dietitians see improvements in nutritional intake and a speedier
recovery after illness.
They also appreciate the opportunity to teach nutrition principles to patients
through conversations around their meal service."
Harris says if a patient is not eating, or is not ordering their meals,
they receive a personal visit from a dietitian to ensure patients are receiving the
nutrients they need to get better.
Food waste has been impacted by room service as well.
By gauging the amount of food waste leaving the kitchen, and by what
a nurse notes on a patient's record for unconsumed portions of meals, Harris calculates
Olympic Medical Center is now estimated at 3 percent of food waste, significantly
down from an estimated 33 percent in April of 2006.
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