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Identifying solutions to minimize meal tray waste: A mixed-method approach
Kimberly Fuleihan1, Kaytlena Stillman2, Joshua Hakimian3
1Department of Enterprise Information Systems, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Clinical Nutrition ESPEN
|June 20, 2024
Summary
Meal tray waste costs hospitals over $150,000 annually. Key drivers include patient discharges, non-requested food items, and poor staff coordination, necessitating workflow improvements in decentralized foodservice models.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Operations
- Foodservice Management
- Waste Reduction Strategies
Background:
- Annual meal tray waste exceeds $150,000 in a large U.S. hospital.
- Decentralized foodservice models present unique challenges for waste management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify root causes of meal tray waste in a decentralized hospital foodservice system.
- To develop strategies for mitigating meal tray waste and associated costs.
Main Methods:
- Mixed methods sequential explanatory design.
- Analysis of food management data (Jan 2021-Sep 2022).
- Observations, mobile-interviews (n=16), and in-depth interviews (n=12) with staff; expert consultations (n=10).
Main Results:
- Increased waste correlates with patient discharges and provision of standard (house) trays with unrequested items.
- Root causes include patient unpredictability, inter-departmental coordination gaps, patient preferences, and workflow inefficiencies.
- Decentralized models require system and workflow enhancements to address waste.
Conclusions:
- Findings offer insights for diverse medical institutions aiming to reduce meal tray waste.
- Optimizing foodservice models is crucial for efficiency, cost reduction, patient satisfaction, and sustainability.
- Strategic interventions can mitigate significant financial losses from meal tray waste.
