Inpatient Services
The Division of Nutrition Therapy at Cincinnati Children’s provides several services for children admitted into the hospital.
Nutrition Screening, Evaluation, Assessment
Every hospital accredited by the Joint Commission is required to screen all patients for nutrition risk within 24 hours of admission. Patients are asked questions by the admitting nurse to identify potential nutritional problems.
- Those identified at potential nutrition risk receive a nutrition evaluation by a dietetic technician or a registered dietitian, and a level of nutrition risk is determined.
- High risk patients are seen by a registered dietitian and receive a complete nutrition assessment and on-going monitoring and care.
- Patients identified as low or moderate risk will be monitored throughout their stay and will be seen by a dietetics professional as needed.
Lactation Consultation
When the admitting nurse identifies a patient as breastfeeding, an international board-certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) visits the mother to assess her needs. If a consult is needed or ordered by the physician, the IBCLC provides a complete lactation assessment and plan. A lactation consultant continues to monitor the needs of the breastfeeding dyad (the mother and baby) until the infant’s discharge.
Room Service
The food delivery program at Cincinnati Children’s, called “Room Service,” is designed to improve patient satisfaction and oral intake by providing desired food selections anytime from 6:30 am to 8 pm at the main campus and 6:30 am to 7 pm at the Liberty Campus. The menu is carefully designed and consists of healthy food choices and kid-friendly food items. Patients on specialized diets receive assistance from the clinical staff in the Division of Nutrition Therapy.
Human Milk and Formula Center (HMFC)
To maintain safety and security, the Human Milk and Formula Center (HMFC) stores and prepares formulas and human milk for infants and children. Recipes for formula and / or human milk are provided by registered dietitians or dietetic technicians and are prepared and distributed daily to the patient care units by formula room technicians and / or dietetic technicians.
