Types of clinical dietitian software include those that provide an analysis of a client’s diet, create healthy menus, and help dietitians maintain statistics on the efficacy of treatment in meeting client goals. Other types of dietitian software packages include those that enable a dietitian or his or her staff to effectively manage and maintain a health care practice. Some manufacturers produce more than one type of software, allowing customers to combine individual components so as to create a system that meets their needs as well as the needs of their clients.
One common type of dietitian software is that which provides an analysis of a client’s nutritional intake. The dietitian or client can provide information about the foods that the client is eating, and the software can analyze the nutrients supplied by the client’s diet. This can help the dietitian to determine areas where a client may need to modify his or her eating habits. In some cases, this software may also provide an analysis of a client’s physical activity level, which can be particularly handy when treating a client who needs to lose weight.
Dietitians may need to create meal plans for patients with special dietary needs. Several companies make dietitian software that can incorporate dietary guidelines as well as a client’s food preferences to create several menus that a client or a client’s caretaker can follow at home. Of course, meal plans can also be designed on this type of software for use in institutional settings, such as in a hospital, school, or nursing home. In addition to prescribing a menu, this software can also provide a nutritional breakdown of the meals so that both clinician and client are aware of the client’s nutritional intake.
Many software companies produce software that allows dietitians and other health care professionals to effectively manage their practices. This software may facilitate patient scheduling as well as both patient and insurance billing. In addition, there are dietitian software types that provide for the secure and confidential storage of client records.
Some types of dietician software allow dietitians to gather data from patient records and compile it into meaningful statistics. This can be very useful when conducting research and determining the efficacy of particular treatments and approaches. While this feature may be of most use to academics and those who are conducting nutritional research, private clinicians may also appreciate having this data so that they can modify their approaches to patient treatment.