A4 Refereed article in a conference publication

Assessing Hospital Patient Nutrient Intake with an AI-Powered Food Recognition System – A Feasibility Study of the FlavoriaFlex solution;




AuthorsKhalil, Rehan; Koskimäki, Sanna; Lähde, Hanna; Bhetuwal, Shyam; Koivunen, Lauri; Houttu, Veera; Laitinen, Kirsi; Mäkilä, Tuomas

EditorsKalra, Jay

Conference nameInternational Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics

Publication year2026

Journal: AHFE International

Book title Healthcare and Medical Devices : Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics and the Affiliated Conferences, Istanbul, Turkey, 20-24 July 2026

Volume211

First page 20

Last page30

ISBN978-1-964867-87-8

eISSN2771-0718

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.54941/ahfe1007465

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Open Access publication channel

Web address http://dx.doi.org/10.54941/ahfe1007465

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/533884965

Self-archived copy's licenceCC BY NC ND

Self-archived copy's versionPublisher`s PDF


Abstract

Adequate dietary intake is essential for positive clinical outcomes of hospitalized patients, yet monitoring food intake is labor-intensive and often subjective. AI-based food recognition could automate monitoring and assessment, but evidence in real-world hospital settings is limited. This study evaluated an AI-powered food recognition system, FlavoriaFlex, to assess its detection performance, deployment feasibility, and acceptability among dietitians. Previously validated in restaurant (F1 0.75, weight MAE 23.6 g, energy MAE 235 kcal), the system was deployed in a hospital ward for six days. A total of 133 meals were recorded; 102 had paired leftover images (235 total images). Manual annotation of 483 food segments provided ground truth for evaluating food recognition and menu mapping. Semi-structured interviews with dietitians assessed usability, perceived benefits, and clinical value. FlavoriaFlex enabled automatic estimation of item- and meal-level consumption, including weights and energy- and macronutrient contents. Overall food recognition accuracy was 94% (F1 0.76), remaining high for served meals (96.5%, F1 0.85) and robust for visually complex leftovers (89.5%, F1 0.71). Unknown/non-food segments were minimal (2.4% of leftovers; 0.27% of weight). A web dashboard delivered real-time visualizations, including energy and nutrient intake. Dietitians reported reduced cognitive burden, more objective assessment, and improved observability into patient dietary intake, while emphasizing the need for further validation and integration for clinical use. These findings demonstrate that FlavoriaFlex could be integrated into hospital workflows to provide accurate, clinically meaningful intake estimates, with AI-assisted food recognition offering an efficient, reliable approach to improving nutritional monitoring at scale.



Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence, AIDietary assessmentFood intakeFood RecognitionMalnutritionNutrient intake

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Funding information in the publication
This research was supported by Business Finland (2022/31/2023). We gratefully acknowledge the Flavoria® multidisciplinary research platform and our colleagues at the Nutrition and Food Research Center of the University of Turku for their continued support.


Last updated on 25/08/2026 08:18:57 AM