title: DietPal: a Web-based dietary menu-generating and management system.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Attempts in current health care practice to make health care more accessible, effective, and efficient through the use of information technology could include implementation of computer-based dietary menu generation. While several of such systems already exist, their focus is mainly to assist healthy individuals calculate their calorie intake and to help monitor the selection of menus based upon a prespecified calorie value. Although these prove to be helpful in some ways, they are not suitable for monitoring, planning, and managing patients' dietary needs and requirements. This paper presents a Web-based application that simulates the process of menu suggestions according to a standard practice employed by dietitians.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To model the workflow of dietitians and to develop, based on this workflow, a Web-based system for dietary menu generation and management. The system is aimed to be used by dietitians or by medical professionals of health centers in rural areas where there are no designated qualified dietitians.
  
  
  METHODS
  First, a user-needs study was conducted among dietitians in Malaysia. The first survey of 93 dietitians (with 52 responding) was an assessment of information needed for dietary management and evaluation of compliance towards a dietary regime. The second study consisted of ethnographic observation and semi-structured interviews with 14 dietitians in order to identify the workflow of a menu-suggestion process. We subsequently designed and developed a Web-based dietary menu generation and management system called DietPal. DietPal has the capability of automatically calculating the nutrient and calorie intake of each patient based on the dietary recall as well as generating suitable diet and menu plans according to the calorie and nutrient requirement of the patient, calculated from anthropometric measurements. The system also allows reusing stored or predefined menus for other patients with similar health and nutrient requirements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We modeled the workflow of menu-suggestion activity currently adhered to by dietitians in Malaysia. Based on this workflow, a Web-based system was developed. Initial post evaluation among 10 dietitians indicates that they are comfortable with the organization of the modules and information.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The system has the potential of enhancing the quality of services with the provision of standard and healthy menu plans and at the same time increasing outreach, particularly to rural areas. With its potential capability of optimizing the time spent by dietitians to plan suitable menus, more quality time could be spent delivering nutrition education to the patients.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Information Science & Technology (F T S M), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia. samn@ftsm.ukm.my
authors.forename: Shahrul A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Noah
authors.forename: Siti Norulhuda
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Abdullah
authors.forename: Suzana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shahar
authors.forename: Helmi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abdul-Hamid
authors.forename: Nurkahirizan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khairudin
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yusoff
authors.forename: Rafidah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ghazali
authors.forename: Nooraini
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mohd-Yusoff
authors.forename: Nik Shanita
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Shafii
authors.forename: Zaharah
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Abdul-Manaf
mesh_terms: D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005521:Food Service, Hospital / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000639:trends*; D008296:Malaysia / Q000208:ethnology; D008612:Menu Planning / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010346:Patient Care Management / Q000379:methods*; D012984:Software / Q000639:trends*; D012985:Software Design; D000078329:Workforce