Computerized Nutrition Assessment of Retirees
Begins in Baltimore County, MD

CATONSVILLE, MD -- Dietitians at Erickson’s eight Renaissance Gardens assisted living/skilled nursing facilities along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and in the Midwest today began using the Electronic Nutrition Assessment to collect information, assess the residents’ conditions and use the information to then recommend interventions to address their needs.

Residents benefit from this computerized approach to diet/nutrition assessment because they will not receive multiple requests for the same information, such as food preferences or allergies. The electronic assessment can be completed at the bedside as our communities become wireless. This will create more time for the dietitians to spend with the residents and we will focus on goals that are strength-based rather than only addressing deficits.

A peer group of dietitians worked together to develop the Nutrition Assessment Form that would help them complete a thorough assessment on a resident, including calculations for things like Ideal Body Weight and fluid needs.

The Erickson Health^SM System, which operates the Renaissance Gardens facilities, is working to have all assessments electronic, so information collected by others would be available to the dietitians as they complete their assessments. For example, weights recorded by nursing would be electronically available and if there is a change the dietitian would be alerted.

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