Articles of Interest

Digitization of Patient Nutrition Intake in Healthcare – The Case of Swiss Hospitals
by Dr Thorsten Merkle and Dr Isabelle Wrase

This paper describes the assessment of the economical, ecological and social benefits of digitizing patient nutrition in Healthcare, using the use case of a Swiss tool that measures individual patient nutrition. Improved patient nutrition can reduce treatment costs and food waste, potentially generating benefits to a hospital in all three aspects of the triple bottom line. Using a nutrition intake digitization tool, data on patients’ nutrition is generated with a fully automatic procedure relying on a visual system, implemented in hospital kitchens. With our study we seek to explore the extent to which hospitals can benefit from the integration of this tool.

A Golden Time Out With My Time
by Franziska Honegger

In the course of construction of the new building, the staff restaurant at the cantonal hospital in Aarau had to make way for the construction site. As a replacement, the “Time Out” restaurant was created at an attractive location in the park. Due to the excellent infrastructure of the timber construction, the veteran cafeteria was converted into a catering zone with self-checkout tills as a supplementary offer – only for employees, accessible 24/7. The balance so far is positive.

How Cleaning Contributes to Hygiene and Health in Hospitals
by Alexandra Lachner and Klaas-Matti Nolte

In hardly any other area are cleaning and disinfection as important as in hospitals. Cleanliness is the pre-requisite for hygiene, because dirt and dust form a breeding ground for microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses. Comprehensive cleaning and disinfection measures are essential to prevent the spread of germs and to ensure the patient’s recovery and health.

Window to Wall Performance in Healthcare Facilities
by Brian Gagne and Steve Mort

Constructing health care facilities is a complex and high stakes business. With vulnerable occupants and sterile settings, it is important to create a controlled environment from the onset of construction to mitigate the risk of air and water infiltration.

Put Your Best Foot Forward
by Robert Kravitz

Minimize the labor, cost and disruption related to health care facility floor maintenance by adopting these operation and maintenance practices that improve facility appearance, health and safety.

Workplace Resilience When A Disaster Strikes
by Diane Coles Levine

Workplace strategy plays a vital role in business resilience as people, place and technology are critical to resuming operations after a disaster. This article poses questions to consider when determining how you, as a workplace strategist or facility manager, can support your organization’s business resilience planning efforts. Take the lead to prepare your organization for an uncertain future.

The 4 Key Elements of a World Class Security Approach

Protecting and securing your most valuable assets is an important responsibility as a business owner/facility manager. This article presents four ongoing elements of a superior approach to security.