Weight Loss Prevention
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GUIDELINES FOR ESTIMATING FOOD AND FLUID CONSUMPTION
To avoid errors and ensure the highest agreement between staff members, we recommend these guidelines for calculating an estimate of total percentage consumed. Consider presenting these guidelines, also available in PDF , during in-service trainings on feeding assistance.
- List each food and fluid item on the tray at the point of meal tray delivery and record the resident's consumption of each item at the point of meal tray pick-up using the bottom portion of the Mealtime Observational Protocol.
- Use a continuous percentage scale, from 0% to 100%, for estimation instead of percentage categories, such as 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, which usually result in overestimates of intake.
- Each food and fluid item on the meal tray is counted equally as opposed to assigning differential values to different items (e.g., meat = 40%, salad = 20%), which results in error due to the complexity of the calculations.
- Ideally, consumption of fluids should be recorded in ounces, in addition to percentage consumed, to allow for an accurate measure of hydration status.
- Oral nutritional supplements consumed during the meal should not count in estimating the total percentge consumed for that meal. However, the the amount of supplement consumed (in ounces) should be recorded separately to allow nurses and dietitians to estimate the resident's total daily consumption. Supplements are intended to be given between meals, though we acknowledge that some residents prefer supplements to the served meal. Staff should ensure that meal substitutions are also offered as an alternative to the served meal.
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