Swedish Hospital’s food service program at a glance
Swedish Hospital’s food service program at a glance
Choices, yes, but there is a limit
The food service program at Swedish Hospital in Seattle (see related story, p. 39) doesn’t seem all that special — if you are at a hotel. But for a hospital, it is novel, particularly on a 500-bed scale.
The program allows patients to order what they want when they want it from a four-page menu, about half of which is offered around the clock.
But patients on a restricted diet don’t get away with ordering food that could harm them. For those patients, a computer system kicks in with safeguards, says Kris Schroeder, RD, CD, director of nutrition services at the hospital.
"If a person orders French toast with regular syrup, but has diabetes, the clerk on the other end gets a warning screen," she explains, noting that either the clerk has to enter an authorization code from the patient’s physician, or enter another choice.
"He or she is trained to negotiate with the patient to find some alternative that is acceptable. We want the patient to be in charge, not simply get a substitution that they didn’t order. The power is with the patient. They are in the driver’s seat," Schroeder adds.
Patients who don’t eat can be tracked
The computer system also allows easy tracking of patients who don’t eat anything. "We were wondering what to call the report, and we decided on the Who Didn’t Eat Report,’" laughs Schroeder. That report is circulated to the patients’ physicians and other members of the care team. In addition, those patients are given more personal attention by staff, and encouraged to eat.
That personalized service is another part of the program, which also includes less hospital-like uniforms (black slacks or skirts and white shirts) and a professional demeanor. Staff members carry business cards and are encouraged to interact with patients, says Schroeder. "It’s a hostess-type program."
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