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MyFood - digital decision support system

Approximately 30% of patients in hospitals, nursing homes and home-based care are malnourished or at malnutrition risk. We have developed and evaluated the digital MyFood system for improved nutritional treatment and care.

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Main menu in the MyFood app

About MyFood

In a PhD project, we developed, validated and studied MyFood - a digital decision support system to prevent and treat disease-related malnutrition. The MyFood system consists of an app for use among patients and a website for use among nurses and health care professionals. In MyFood the patient or a nurse record food intake and nutrition-related symptoms. MyFood calculates automatically the patients' needs for energy, protein, and liquids and compares the intake with the individual patient's requirements. The nurse receives a report including tailored recommendations for nutritional treatment and a draft for an individualized nutritional care plan.

The MyFood system are at the moment used in two research projects at the department of nutrition; GAIN and NUTREAT.

The MyFood system has been further developed into a innovation project, and a version of the system is commercialised see FoodCapture AS.

Objectives

We aim to deliver and evaluate MyFood for different actors in the healthcare sector for the benefit of patients and the society. 

Background

Disease-related malnutrition is a challenge in the healthcare system. Approximately 30% of patients are malnourished or at malnutrition risk. Malnutrition leads to increased morbidity and mortality rates among the patients, a longer length of hospital stay, higher readmission rates, and increased healthcare costs. Despite national guidelines and the incorporation of disease-related malnutrition in the national patient safety program, several barriers for good nutritional care and treatment exist. The nurses experience a lack of knowledge, competence, and tools to follow-up this large group of patients.

Financing

The 3-year PhD project which included the development, evaluation and testing of MyFood was mainly funded by the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority and the Throne Holst Foundation at the University of Oslo.

The innovation work were supported by SPARK Norway, UiO and the Research Council of Norway.

Cooperation

The development and evaluation project was a collaboration project between the National Advisory Unit on Disease-Related Undernutrition at Oslo University Hospital, the Department of Nutrition at the University of Oslo, and the University Center for Information Technology.

The MyFood innovation project was a collaboration between the Department of Nutrition at the University of Oslo, the University Center for Information Technology and Inven2. 

 

Selected publications

Severinsen F, Andersen LF, Paulsen MM. The Use of a Decision Support System (MyFood) to Assess Dietary Intake Among Free-Living Older Adults in Norway: Evaluation Study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2023 Aug 3;11:e45079. doi: 10.2196/45079.PMID: 37535420 

Varsi C, Andersen LF, Koksvik GT, Severinsen F, Paulsen MM. Intervention-related, contextual and personal factors affecting the implementation of an evidence-based digital system for prevention and treatment of malnutrition in elderly institutionalized patients: a qualitative study. BMC Health Serv Res. 2023 Mar 13;23(1):245. doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09227-8.

Paulsen MM, Varsi C, Andersen LF. Process evaluation of the implementation of a decision support system to prevent and treat disease-related malnutrition in a hospital setting. BMC Health Serv Res 21, 281 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06236-3

Paulsen MM, Paur I, Gjestland J, Varsi C, Tangvik RJ, Andersen LF. Effects of using the MyFood decision support system on hospitalized patients' nutritional status and treatment: A randomized controlled trial. Clin Nutr. 2020 Mar 19, pii: S0261-5614(20)30115-1. DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2020.03.012 [Epub ahead of print]

Paulsen MM, Paur I, Tangvik RJ, Varsi C, Andersen LF. MinMat: et digitalt verktøy for oppfølging av underernærte pasienter. Norsk Tidsskrift for ernæring. Nr. 4 - 17.12.2019.

Paulsen MM, Varsi C, Paur I, Tangvik RJ, Andersen LF. Barriers and Facilitators for Implementing a Decision Support System to Prevent and Treat Disease-Related Malnutrition in a Hospital Setting: Qualitative Study. JMIR formative research. 2019;3(2):e11890. DOI: 10.2196/11890

Paulsen MM, Hagen MLL, Froyen MH, Foss-Pedersen RJ, Bergsager D, Tangvik RJ, et al. A Dietary Assessment App for Hospitalized Patients at Nutritional Risk: Development and Evaluation of the MyFood App. JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 2018;6(9):e175. DOI: 10.2196/mhealth.9953

Published Nov. 3, 2020 3:56 PM - Last modified Jan. 4, 2024 3:41 PM

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Participants

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