Organizing hospital tray line to increase speed of production Alice Green, dietetic intern

Introduction The purpose of this study is to organize the tray line at SSM St. Joseph to limit late trays. I created a list of items to stock before each meal, focusing on canned sodas and frozen desserts This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

Research Room-service style can reduce late tray delivery and improve patient satisfaction (Mohd- Nor, 2010). Improving patient experiences: outcomes and satisfaction (Rollins, 2017). Productivity: successful labor inputs and organization factors (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2015). Increasing speed of service can increase revenue (Ramsey, 2008).

methods List created to post on coolers and freezers Relayed information to employees during a huddle Oversaw intervention during last week of rotation and collected results

Methods: frozen desserts Item Number Needed Vanilla Ice Cream 5 Chocolate Ice Cream Strawberry Ice Cream 4 Low-Fat Sugar Free Vanilla Ice Cream 3 Low-Fat Sugar Free Chocolate Ice Cream Low-Fat Sugar Free Strawberry Ice Cream 2 Orange Sherbet Magic Cup- Chocolate Magic Cup- Berry Lemon Fruit Ice Cherry Fruit Ice House Shake- Chocolate House Shake- Vanilla Methods: frozen desserts

Methods: canned sodas Item Number Needed Pepsi 6 Diet Pepsi Caffeine-Free Pepsi 3 Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi Mountain Dew 4 Diet Mountain Dew Sprite 2 Diet Sprite Dr. Pepper Methods: canned sodas

Results: baseline

Results: After intervention

Conclusion Overall, tray passing times decreased after list was posted and employees stocked more items before peak meal times Employees reported a smoother tray line at times during week of intervention There can be confounding variables affecting the results, but overall the tray passing time increased

Discussion A smoother tray line can lead to less stress during peak rush hours Staying organized can increase productivity This leads to overall customer satisfaction, and according to research, this is the overarching goal of food service systems.

References Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2015). Practice paper of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Principles of productivity in food and nutrition services: Applications in the 21st century health care reform era. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 115, 1141-1147. Kim, K., Kim, M., & Lee, K. (2010). Assessment of foodservice quality and identification of improvement strategies using hospital foodservice quality model. Nutrition Research and Practice. 4(2), 163-172. Mohd Nor, Z. (2010). Hospital foodservice directors identify the important aspects whenimplementing room service in hospital foodservice. Iowa State University Digital Repository. Ramsey, L. (2008). Fast Feasts. Food Service Director. Retrieved from https://www.foodservicedirector.com/managing-your-business/generating-/articles/fast-feasts Rollins, C., & Dobak, S. (2017). Creating a great patient experience: Improving care with food and nutrition services. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 1-5.