A computer application for dietary analysis in clinical nutrition.

Abstract

The computerized dietary assessment system developed at Chedoke-McMaster Hospitals, to assist dietitians with routine calculation of nutrient intakes of patients, as a component of clinical nutrition assessment is described. The program was designed for dietary assessments of hospitalized patients and ambulatory patients, and to facilitate teaching students about dietary management of medical nutrition problems. To meet program objectives, efforts were directed toward software development, with flexibility to meet the needs of a wide variety of users, to accommodate rapidly changing nutrient composition data, to allow tailoring of the database to individual clinical settings, and for future expansion. The regionally accessible dietary assessment system is easy to use and is rapid, requiring 10 to 15 minutes to complete each one-day assessment. The program has been well accepted and utilized by hospital nutritionists in several clinical areas, for establishing dietary goals, monitoring progress, and in patient education.