A comprehensive mobile nutritional application is associated with improved time efficiency and user experience in managing hospitalized children with malnutrition

TL;DR

A new mobile app called iNutri helps healthcare teams manage malnourished hospitalized children more efficiently and with better user experience.

Contribution

The iNutri app is a novel comprehensive tool for pediatric nutritional care that reduces time and workload.

Findings

iNutri reduced the time required for nutritional care by 16 minutes compared to conventional methods.

Early achievement of nutrient targets was associated with shorter hospital stays.

Users gave high ratings for ease of use and comprehensiveness of the app.

Abstract

Despite the growing use of mobile applications in healthcare, few tools for children comprehensively support the entire nutritional care process. Novel technologies have been shown to encourage healthcare teams to initiate nutritional management and reduce the workload of nutrition support teams. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and initial impact of the iNutri application, compare its time efficiency for nutritional management with that of the conventional method, and assess user satisfaction and comfort.

The iNutri application, a comprehensive mobile platform for integrating nutritional assessment, management, and monitoring, was developed. In a prospective pilot study, pediatric residents, as members of the nutritional care team, used iNutri as a tool within the conventional nutritional care process for hospitalized children with malnutrition. The time to achieve the target energy and protein intakes, and the length of hospital stay were assessed. A structured satisfaction survey with a 5-point Likert scale was used to assess user feedback. User feedback on time efficiency, satisfaction, and comfort was analyzed.

Sixty pediatric inpatients with malnutrition were included, with 14 achieving early nutrient requirements. Shorter hospital stays were observed in the early target achievement group (p = 0.003). Compared with the conventional method, the application was associated with a significant reduction in the time required for the nutritional care process by 16 min (p < 0.001). Positive feedback was received regarding the ease of using iNutri (4.4/5), the comprehensiveness of nutritional details (4.2/5), confidence in performing 24-hour dietary recall (4.1/5), initiating enteral or parenteral nutrition (4/5), and mastery in managing the nutritional care process (4/5).

The iNutri application suggests the potential to improve the efficiency of nutritional care for pediatric inpatients with malnutrition, demonstrating an observed reduction in the time required for the nutritional care process. Positive feedback emphasized its ease of usability and effectiveness. Early achievement of target nutrient intake may be associated with shorter hospital stays. These findings are valuable for informing the design of future, large-scale randomized controlled trials.

Thai Clinical Trials Registry TCTR20220319001. Registered 18 March 2022.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12887-025-06423-9.

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