A Multi Perspective Framework for Enhanced Supply Chain Analytics

Supply chain analytics, especially in the field of food supply has become a strategic business function. Monthly executive sales and operation planning meetings utilize supply chain analytics to inform strategic business decisions. Having identified gaps in the strategic management of food supply chains, a multi perspective supply chain analytics framework is developed incorporating process and data attributes to support decision making. Using Design Science as the research methodology, a novel framework with a supporting IT artefact is built and presented with early evaluation results. The resulting multi perspective supply chain analytics framework equips practitioners to identify strategic issues, providing important decision support information. The case study further illustrates the framework has applicability across all integrated food supply chains. This research has highlighted gaps in the application of process science to the supply chain management domain, particularly in the area of simultaneous assessment of process and data. The outcomes contribute to research in this domain providing a framework that will enhance the significant reference modelling and operational management work that has occurred in this field.</p

Health, wellbeing and nutritional status of older people living in UK care homes: an exploratory evaluation of changes in food and drink provision

Background Food and drink are important determinants of physical and social health in care home residents. This study explored whether a pragmatic methodology including routinely collected data was feasible in UK care homes, to describe the health, wellbeing and nutritional status of care home residents and assess effects of changed provision of food and drink at three care homes on residents' falls (primary outcome), anaemia, weight, dehydration, cognitive status, depression, lipids and satisfaction with food and drink provision. Methods We measured health, wellbeing and nutritional status of 120 of 213 residents of six care homes in Norfolk, UK. An intervention comprising improved dining atmosphere, greater food choice, extended restaurant hours, and readily available snacks and drinks machines was implemented in three care homes. Three control homes maintained their previous system. Outcomes were assessed in the year before and the year after the changes. Results Use of routinely collected data was partially successful, but loss to follow up and levels of missing data were high, limiting power to identify trends in the data. This was a frail older population (mean age 87, 71% female) with multiple varied health problems. During the first year 60% of residents had one or more falls, 40% a wound care visit, and 40% a urinary tract infection. 45% were on diuretics, 24% antidepressants, and 43% on psychotropic medication. There was a slight increase in falls from year 1 to year 2 in the intervention homes, and a much bigger increase in control homes, leading to a statistically non-significant 24% relative reduction in residents' rate of falls in intervention homes compared with control homes (adjusted rate ratio 0.76, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.02, p = 0.06). Conclusions Care home residents are frail and experience multiple health risks. This intervention to improve food and drink provision was well received by residents, but effects on health indicators (despite the relative reduction in falls rate) were inconclusive, partly due to problems with routine data collection and loss to follow up. Further research with more homes is needed to understand which, if any, components of the intervention may be successful