J Am Diet Assoc
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Accuracy of tray assembly is essential for providing appropriate nutrition care to patients and maintaining patient satisfaction. A monitoring system of tray assembly error rates was designed to evaluate patient tray accuracy and to identify types of assembly errors. Data were collected during two morning, five noon, and five evening meals. ⋯ Only 2.7% of the trays had errors contradictory to the diet order. The error rate was significantly higher during the second half of the assembly period, and the highest error rates were observed for the evening meal. The methodology used in this study serves as the basis for quality control monitoring and as a motivational tool to stimulate improved performance by trayline employees.