Nutrition & Dietetics
न्यूट्रिशन व डाइटेटिक्स

Nutrition & Dietetics / न्यूट्रिशन व डाइटेटिक्स

Reachable(10am- 1:30pm) at 011-2396621-27,Ext- 407

Dietary department has been serving the hospital for more than 45 years. It works 24x7  round the year. The main function of the department is to provide nutritious, healthy balanced meals to the patients and the hospital staff. The kitchen has ample space and is installed with modern equipments and appliances. The department can cater to more than 600 patients per day.

OBJECTIVES:

1. To maintain good nutritional status of all patients and staff.
2. To educate patients about how diet plays a major role in the treatment of various diseases.
3. To modify the daily diet pattern of patients to meet their requirement in various medical and surgical conditions.
4. To correct nutritional deficiency especially in patients with prolonged hospital stay like cancer patients and critical care unit patients.
5. Diet therapy is not always a remedy in itself but is a measure which supplements or makes the medical or surgical treatment more effective.

 It functions in two different areas:

PATIENT CARE:

ACTIVITIES:
The Dietary Department performs two major activities in patient care:

1. Nutritional care of patients
2. Ensuring quality & hygiene in meals prepared and served to patients

Nutritional care is provided through:

• Outpatient diet clinic: The assigned Dietician after a through study of the patients OPD card for diagnosis and requested diet advice(from the treating physician) plans a patient specific diet and provides a chart with detailed counselling on how to follow it.

The OPD timing is from 10.00 AM to 1.30PM -Monday-Friday, 2.30PM to 4.00PM-Saturday in Room No. 21.

• In-patient Nutritional Care: The assigned Dietician conducts ward rounds on a daily basis & visits the individual patients in order to assess the nutritional status, to make dietary changes according to the patients requirement and to give a brief orientation about our hospital diet. A careful Dietary history of each admitted patients is taken, diagnosis and biochemical parameters are checked so as to modify the diet according to the disease condition.

A Diet Chart and diet counselling is also provided at the time of discharge.

Types of diet provided to the patients:

The various types of diet being provided are:

• Regular normal diet
• Soft diet
• Clear liquid diet
• Full liquid diet
• Jejunostomy feeds
• Diabetic diet
• Renal Diet
• High protein diet
• Salt free diet

Ensuring quality & hygiene in all meals prepared in hospital kitchen and served to patients

All meals(breakfast/mid morning meal/lunch/evening tea/ per dinner meal/dinner and other small meals depending on patient’s dietary plan) are provided for all in-patients.The meals are prepared and served as per daily instruction given by dieticians maintaining a strict check on the quality of food and the services provided.

 How do we ensure this :

The major role of the Dieticians in the food service area is:

• Compilation of the diet sheets received from all the wards twice a day. Planning of therapeutic diet with the help of a meal card which specifies the calories and protein requirement. The meal card also has a list of food items to be served during each meal. Meal card is placed on each therapeutic tray at the time of food serving so as to guide the service person on the type of diet, portion size and foods to be given.
• Planning of Nasogastric tube feeds according to the required calories, protein and volume needed.
• Evaluation of prepared food before serving to the patient.
• Checking the therapeutic tray of patients during the serving time to ensure that patient receives meal as per the plan in the meal card.
• Serving of food according to the portion prescribed in the diet plan with the help of standardised cups and serving the diet tray at the patient’s bed side.
• Monitoring of cleanliness of the various areas within the kitchen.
• Ensuring storage of raw materials in proper storage area like the walk in cooler for perishable goods and dry storage area for non-perishable goods.

Medical Check-up:

Periodic health check- up is conducted for all the personnel working in the kitchen from time to time.

Maintenance of Cleanliness in the Kitchen:

Monitoring of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation is conducted on a daily basis.

Routine cleaning is done on a daily basis to ensure cleanliness and hygiene of  all section which include the pre- preparation area, cooking area, washing area, dry storage area, vegetable storage area, blend section, juice counter, salad preparation, food trolleys, floors and tiles, ventilators and garbage disposal.

STAFF CARE:

 Staff Cafeteria: - The warm and welcoming atmosphere invites you with great range of food. Whether you need a snack, meal or light refreshment, there are delectable and healthy food options available at St. Stephen Hospital cafeteria for the hospital staff on duty. Our cafeteria can accommodate at a time about 100 people.   

The cafeteria is located on the First Floor of the Mother & Child Block.  The Department opens at 5:30 AM to be able to start service from 7:30 AM. Dining options at cafeteria are available from 7:30 AM to 10:00 PM, while the night cafeteria functions from 9:30 PM to 5:30 AM.

Nurses Mess:  The Nurses Mess provides delicious well balanced nutritious meals to all the students and staff. Our Nurses Mess can accommodate at a time about 300 students. Its food quality and hygiene conditions are regularly monitored by the Head of Dietary Department and the Dieticians. A well balanced diet is provided to all the students who are residing in Hostel.

DIETETICS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The mission of the Dietetic Internship Program is to provide students a high quality education and a supervised practical exposure that will prepare them as competent and effective dietetic practitioners.  The philosophy of the Program is to integrate knowledge and critical thinking skills with service. The focus on service affords the program an opportunity to emphasise professional practice that facilitates modification of personal food choices, food access and food systems.

The department provides 3 months of full fledged internship training to dietetics students of various Universities. 

TEACHING PROGRAM FOR NURSING STUDENTS

The Dieticians of the Department take the nutrition classes of the nursing students.