Tray Accuracy Ensuring Patient Safety and Cost Control NFS 5350 | Organization and Management of Food Service | Fall Semester 2012
Coor di na t e d Pr og r a m i n Di e t e t i c s
Chelsea Landau Coor di na t e d Pr og r a m i n Di e t e t i c s
Kristina Wlasiuk Coor di na t e d Pr og r a m i n Di e t e t i c s
Michelle Baker Coor di na t e d Pr og r a m i n Di e t e t i c s Nouhad Mokdad Tray Accuracy Ensuring Patient Safety and Cost Control how correctly food service staff follow the menu, tray card, or tray ticket in assembling the tray. Definition new employees or trainees in the food service department of a hospital. Target Audience instill preventative measures on the importance of the topic before full-time employment begins. Purpose Objectives Knowledge Objective At the end of training, the hospital employee will be able to state:
Skills Objective At the end of training, the hospital employee will be able to demonstrate how to: 1 major reason why tray accuracy is important for the patient and 1 major reason why tray accuracy is important for the facility. 1) correctly measure portion sizes on trays and; 2) ensure proper diet order 100% of the time.
Purpose of Tray Accuracy
1) Ensuring that patients get their proper diet order (patient satisfaction, patient safety).
1) Ensuring that facilities utilize cost control methods (do not waste money and resources).
Tray Accuracy Important to the: Patient Aids in patients meeting their nutritional needs and optimizing their health Guarantee patients are receiving accurate, nutritious meals that accommodate their specific dietary requirements Faster recovery and shorter lengths of stay Patient satisfaction Patient Tray Accuracy Important to the: Facility Inaccurate trays could result in citations from regulatory agencies that audit quality control Errors in food trays will cost the facility in not only food cost, but employee labor The frequency of inaccurate portions could cause shortages/excesses in food inventory Correct portions will reduce food waste Using standardized measuring tools will aid in accuracy (i.e. numbered scoops) Facility How are trays assembled in the hospital?
What is a checker?
Using computerized diet cards or diet tickets.
To reduce tray inaccuracy, a trained individual works at the end of a tray line as a checker. The checker is responsible for ensuring that food items on the tray are in accordance with the computerized diet cards or diet tickets.
Facts About Tray Accuracy How can tray accuracy be measured?
Checkers, or other trained individuals, can measure tray accuracy in two major ways: Using the rate of error calculation Interrupting the tray line
Facts About Tray Accuracy cont. 1. Rate of Error Count the total number of items on the tray ticket Count the total number of errors on the trays Divide the total number of errors by the total number of items Multiply answer by 100 8 items Tray 1 Tray 2 Tray 3 8 items 8 items 24 0 errors 0 errors 3 errors 3 3 . 24 0.125 x 100 =12.5%
2. Interrupting Method Checker can quickly interrupt the tray line. Review the tray to its diet order. These comparisons will identify any gaps, errors, or delays in communication of diet orders and then followed-through in the dietary department. The error rate and interrupting method: serve as a useful foundation for corrective action and as a source of motivation for improving employee interest in performance.
Incidence of Inaccuracy Study 6, 553 trays were randomly selected and evaluated.
If a tray was not correct, evaluators noted whether the error was one of omission, addition, or substitution.
Error of convenience: not critical with respect to diet.
Error of compliance: diet order was contradicted.
Results: average error rate was 12.9%,
Dinner Error Rate Lunch Error Rate Omission Error Rate Addition Error Rate Substitution Error Rate Errors of Convenience Errors of Compliance Weekdays vs. Weekends An in-service program developed for evening employees greatly decreased the rate of error during dinner.
After developing and implementing other methods of ongoing monitoring and performance feedback, error rates decreased by approximately 25%.
At the end of the presentation, you should be able to : State 1 major reason why tray accuracy is important for the patient. State 1 major reason why tray accuracy is important for the facility. Demonstrate how to correctly measure portion sizes on trays. Demonstrate how to ensure proper diet order 100% of the time. TO BE COMPLETED: HAND- OUT QUI Z
Thank You NFS 5350 | Organization and Management of Food Service | Fall Semester 2012