10 min.
3.9.2024
Accurate food data can save lives
Text
Karen Gahrn
Photo:
Aalborg University Hospital
Around half of the patients admitted to Aalborg University Hospital are at nutritional risk. Incorrect nutrition can lead to complications, longer hospital stays, and in the worst case, death.
Anne Kathrine Larsen is a research and innovation officer at Aalborg University Hospital, working at the vital intersection where food and nutrition meet.
– My work might involve creating a new menu plan or reviewing the quality of snacks. We prepare food for 900 people every day. On average, 40-60 are on special diets, for example, due to gluten or shellfish allergies. But we also prepare food for patients with swallowing difficulties or patients who are at nutritional risk for other reasons.
That is why data from GS1 is super important to us, so we don't have to constantly monitor whether a specific food item has increased or decreased in protein because a manufacturer has made changes.
GS1 ensures accurate data
When a patient is admitted, they are screened for nutrition, and the data is recorded in their medical record.
– Along the way, it is recorded how much the patient eats. If we have incorrect information about, for example, protein content, our records will be wrong. That is why accurate food data is crucial, says Anne Kathrine Larsen.
The information currently comes from the database GS1Trade Sync, and that is why it is possible for Anne Kathrine Larsen and her colleagues to know exactly what a food product contains.
And GS1Trade Exact validates supplier data.
– We have built the system using rules from legislation and the industry to ensure data is accurate. Getting the right diet composition can be a matter of life or death for patients, says Nikolaj Brink Laursen from GS1 Denmark.
When a patient is admitted, they are screened for nutrition, and the data is recorded in their medical record.
– Along the way, it is recorded how much the patient eats. If we have incorrect information about, for example, protein content, our records will be wrong. That is why accurate food data is crucial, says Anne Kathrine Larsen.
The information currently comes from the database GS1Trade Sync, and that is why it is possible for Anne Kathrine Larsen and her colleagues to know exactly what a food product contains.
And GS1Trade Exact validates supplier data.
– We have built the system using rules from legislation and the industry to ensure data is accurate. Getting the right diet composition can be a matter of life or death for patients, says Nikolaj Brink Laursen from GS1 Denmark.
New system creates a more efficient workday
Aalborg University Hospital is the first hospital in Denmark to implement a kitchen management system that can receive data directly from the patient's medical record and send data back to the record regarding dietary registrations.
– That is why data from GS1 is super important to us, so we don't have to constantly monitor whether a specific food item has increased or decreased in protein because a manufacturer has made changes, explains Anne Kathrine Larsen.
The system, provided by Matilda FoodTech, is being rolled out gradually and will be fully implemented when the hospital moves to the new super hospital in Aalborg East.
Until now, the hospital's staff have used lookup values from food databases with an average of what a food item contains. But now, the information comes via Matilda FoodTech from GS1Trade Sync, where suppliers enter information about individual food items.
– This means that the dietitians who register patient diets can get accurate data to work with. Until now, they have used average values and have been registering on paper, explains Anne Kathrine Larsen.
FROM GS1 TO THE PATIENT
- A supplier (e.g., Kohberg) creates food data in GS1Trade Sync.
- Kohberg sends the product to GS1Trade Exact, which verifies the physical product against the data in GS1Trade Sync.
- A wholesaler (e.g., Dansk Cater) receives data from GS1Trade Sync.
- The wholesaler then sells the product to, for example, Aalborg University Hospital.
- Matilda Foodtech builds data systems for purposes such as nutritional calculations. They also receive data from GS1Trade Sync and provide data and nutritional calculation systems to public institutions such as Aalborg University Hospital.
- Aalborg University Hospital is receiving and using food data in their new kitchen management system for the benefit of the individual patient.
Errors can have serious consequences
Aalborg University Hospital has a raw material database with approximately 2,000 food items, which until now has been maintained manually. This is now being digitized with GS1Trade Sync, which saves time and ensures accurate food data.
– Once we are fully up and running with the new system, we will have precise data on every meal served to the patients, says Anne Kathrine Larsen.
The system makes it easier to customize nutrition.
– For example, I can see that Mrs. Jensen in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine needs 1,200 calories and 60 g of protein. If she only eats 25 percent, the hospital can quickly adjust her diet or offer nutritional supplements, where precise data is crucial.
Previously, assessments were more uncertain, but now accurate data ensures the right nutrition – and can ultimately prevent serious errors.
Anne Kathrine Larsen cannot provide specific examples, but has experienced what is known in the hospital world as an "adverse event."
THE SIX STEPS IN AALBORG UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL'S NEW KITCHEN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
- The patient is admitted.
- The patient is screened for nutrition and the nutritional plan is recorded.
- The patient chooses meals based on the nutritional plan.
- The kitchen produces, packs, and sends the food to the patient.
- The food is served at the scheduled meal times.
- The dietitian or the patient logs the food intake.
