Is nutrition software one of the topics you have been considering as a next step in developing your practice as a registered dietitian or nutritionist? This article aims to help you make up your mind and make the best decision as you digitalize your work.

For an RD working on their own, there are many things that need to be set in place, from a management point of view. Patient files and information, appointments, meal plans, evaluation charts, a complete schedule, expense reports and so much more. While you may have already managed to digitalize some of these tasks or operations, how would you feel if they were all in one place? All you would need is an account for a certain nutrition software that would allow you to access all this information and automatically generate reports and charts that would normally take hours to create.

Just think about the appointments part. You may have an agenda, a calendar and a lot of notes that you stick on your laptop or monitor just to make sure you remember that a patient canceled or rescheduled. Also, maybe you decided to mark down some of these appointments on your mobile phone for fast and easy access or safekeeping (well, except for when the battery dies or the phone jams or you know, when you are in a “no service” area). What these multiple forms of keeping track of patient visits do is make your work more difficult and inefficient. Whether you want to or not, your work follows you home or wherever you go. A big part of success in any business is knowing how to harmoniously combine work and relaxation. A nutrition software can do just that.

Nutrition Software Advantages

First of all, increasing your productivity. If you have all your patient and management information and processes in one (virtual) place, you can access them easier and faster. Also, even though you can log in from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection, you will be less tempted to. How does that work? If you use a laptop or computer at work, after you shut it down at the end of the workday, you are less likely to open it again at home. And even if you would, you would spend a lot less time using the nutrition software outside of work hours compared to when all this data was divided into various programs, agendas and calendars. Same thing goes for the anamnesis component of each private practice.

Second, an all-in-one management system can help improve communication with your patients, and the general relationship you develop with each of them, for that matter. One of the greatest advantages of using professional nutrition software is that the patient is also engaged and can benefit from quicker and better services. One example would be the possibility to confirm an appointment via SMS or via email, after the program sends them a reminder. This reduces rate of no-shows and increases their confidence into the services that you provide.

We are in 2018—who doesn’t use tech to take their business/practice to the next level? Patients will also enjoy the regular reports on their progress sent via email or the customized meal plans that go as far as naming an actual product brand that they can safely include in their diet. Yes, professional nutrition software provides complex meal plan functions and even recipes to help patients cook the meals that will change their lives for the better.

Third—can we talk about the environment just a little bit? One of the often overlooked advantages of using tech at work is the sustainability component. If you are even the least bit environmentally conscious, you are aware that pollution is deeply impacting our planet. Long story short: The more we do as individuals to protect the planet, the better. Each tiny step matters and using less papers is just one of these steps. With few exceptions, patients are all familiar with online tools and services. Even if not tech savvy, they all have an email address that they use, which makes them qualified to be part of this nutrition software system that can improve and transform the way you work.

Conclusion

If you think about it—and I am sure most of you have—as a registered dietitian, you can do so much to impact people’s lives in a positive way. Nutrition software is just another great tool that helps dietitians and nutritionists step up their game, take things to the next level and appeal not only to Millennials, currently the largest demographic segment, but also Gen Zers or even Baby Boomers looking for a better life.

Nutritionist Assistant is offering an online nutrition software that is an all-in-one solution for RDs. You can start your free trial today, no commitments required. We have gone way past the part when these apps were just a whim. They are a must.