The Power of Data: Transforming Clinical Nutrition Practice by Building a Custom Platform for RDN Productivity Reporting

Abstract

Describe the process used to develop a data-driven productivity platform. Clinical Nutrition Managers (CNMs) and Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) rely on productivity data to drive decisions, provide timely patient care, allocate resources, and meet compliance standards. Excel is widely used to collect productivity data; however, using such manual reporting systems can be time-consuming and cumbersome. Web-based data analytics tools like Tableau are increasingly used to provide dynamic, real-time data. Our team succeeded in creating an adaptable, customized automated data collection tool for RDN clinical productivity reporting. A team of ambulatory RDNs, the CNM, and IT specialists at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) collaborated to build a clinical productivity data tool using the electronic medical record and Tableau. Documentation notes were modified to collect productivity data and automatically export it to Tableau. Previously, MSK RDNs recorded individual clinical productivity daily in Excel; these were sent to the Clinical Nutrition Manager to analyze monthly. Following the change from Excel to Tableau, RDN productivity data was automated, up to date, could be viewed in real-time, and showed historical trends. This change helped the CNM justify positions and manage resources. It also saved each RDN an average of 20-30 minutes daily. Automating RDN productivity data has been beneficial in budgeting and saving RDN time and apportioning resources. A similar tool is being developed for the inpatient RDNs and includes data on patients with documented malnutrition. Automating data collection is a process that can be easily replicated or adapted, is customizable, and adds value for Clinical Nutrition Managers and Registered Dietitian Nutritionists.