Activity sampling in two nursing home foodservice systems

Activity sampling was conducted in the foodservice department of two Wisconsin skilled care nursing homes with bed capacities between 100 and 160. Two seven-day sampling periods about one month apart were conducted in each home with 100 random observations being made each day. Analysis of variance of data indicated that the modified activity sampling technique was reliable in analyzing activities of personnel in nursing home foodservice systems with similar organizational and operational characteristics. In both homes, approximately 81, 9, and 10% of total labor time were spent in direct work, indirect work, and delays, respectively. Mean labor minutes per meal equivalent served (7.48 in Home X and 7.43 in Home Y) were similar. The consistent values for minutes per meal equivalent from Monday through Friday suggest that future activity sampling studies in nursing homes could be less than seven days. When evaluating staffing patterns in nursing home foodservice systems, consideration should be given to both quantitative indexes (minutes per meal, food cost per meal, labor cost per meal and qualitative indexes (sensory, microbial, and nutrient quality of food served), as well as to employee and resident satisfaction with the system.