Design and implementation of a computerized diet order entry system for a hospital

A computerized diet entry system was developed to control entry of diet orders by hospital ward clerks from an established list of items. Three reporting systems were then designed for delivery of the computerized order to the Nutrition Services Department. One report contains only essential information and is printed instantly upon entry for confirmation of a "stat" diet order. Another report collates diet orders by time periods and then organizes them by wards and sequentially by room number. That report is then used for diet changes prior to meal service. The third report stores advance diet orders and test diet orders and reports them upon the date they are to be served. Diet orders are also collated and retained in the system, in sequential order for each patient, to allow for an instant report of the patient's diet history upon demand. This computerized diet order system has resolved problems regarding receipt of complete information required for a diet order and receipt of a diet order for all patients. An overview of the information support system used by the Nutrition Services Department, which was created from programs developed for other hospital departments, is also presented.