AF Form 2573 Diet Census: Download & Instructions 2026

AF Form 2573 Diet Census: Download & Instructions 2026 – AF Form 2573, officially titled Diet Census, is a critical document used by the United States Air Force Medical Treatment Facilities (MTFs) to track inpatient diets, calculate workload, and determine food production requirements in Nutritional Medicine (NM) services.

This form supports efficient patient feeding operations by providing a daily snapshot of diet types served to inpatients. It directly contributes to staffing, resource planning, and cost management within Air Force medical food service programs.

What Is AF Form 2573?

AF Form 2573 is a standardized Air Force form (revision dated 19950601) designed specifically for conducting a diet census in military medical facilities. It tallies the number and types of therapeutic and regular diets prepared and served to inpatients on nursing units.

The form is completed daily—typically after the evening meal—using data from AF Form 1094 (Diet Order). It categorizes diets, applies acuity weighting factors, and feeds into broader workload reporting, such as AF Form 544 (used for manual or TRIFOOD computations).

Key Purpose (per official instructions):

  • Calculate daily and monthly workload data.
  • Determine food production requirements.
  • Support accurate resource allocation and performance metrics in Nutritional Medicine services.

It is not used for outpatients eating in the dining room or general/regular diet patients who do not receive trays on nursing units.

Who Uses AF Form 2573?

  • Nutritional Medicine Service (NM) personnel, including registered dietitians (RD/RDN), diet therapy specialists (AFSC 4D0X1), and food service staff in Air Force MTFs.
  • Inpatient nursing units and medical food service teams responsible for patient tray service.
  • Data from the form is shared with the Medical Support Agency (MSA) Office per local guidance and contributes to USAF Dietetics Benchmarking metrics.

This form remains relevant for operational efficiency in both garrison and deployed settings where medical food service is required.

How to Complete AF Form 2573: Step-by-Step Instructions?

Follow these official procedures for accurate completion:

  1. Header Information:
    • Enter the meal (Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner) and the date.
    • List all relevant inpatient nursing units (including ASF – Aeromedical Staging Facility) in the designated section.
  2. Diet Categories (Lines 1B–32B):
    • Count each type of diet served on the units based on AF Form 1094 Diet Orders.
    • Common categories include:
      • General/Regular
      • NPO (Nothing by Mouth)
      • Tube Feeding
      • TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition)
      • Various restricted diets (No Added Salt, Sodium Restricted, Diabetic variations, Fat Restricted, Cardiac, etc.)
      • Liquid diets (Full Liquid, Clear Liquid)
      • Mechanical Soft, Pureed, Infant/Pre-School formulas
      • High Calorie/Protein/Snacks
      • CTIMs (Centralized Therapeutic Inpatient Meals or similar)
    • Record counts in the appropriate column. Use blank lines (29–31) for unlisted diets and assign an acuity factor (consult MAJCOM consultant if needed).
  3. Acuity Weighting:
    • Multiply the total count (Column C) by the pre-assigned acuity factor (Column D) to get the weighted value (Column E).
    • Examples: Regular diets typically have a factor of 1; more complex diets (e.g., certain diabetic or tube feedings) have higher factors (up to 7 or more).
  4. Workload Summaries (Lines 33–39):
    • Calculate subtotals for regular trays, NPO/tube/TPN, therapeutic trays, grand total patient tray meals, and CTIMs.
    • Compute the Weighted Diet Census and maintain cumulative monthly totals.
    • At month-end, derive the Monthly Weighted Diet Census Factor by dividing total weighted census by total tray meals. This metric helps benchmark efficiency and staffing.

Important Notes:

  • Do not include regular diets served in the dining room.
  • Therapeutic trays served to ambulatory inpatients in the dining room should be counted with nursing unit trays.
  • For multi-meal production tallies, you may complete only the per-meal sections as needed.
  • AF Form 1094 — Diet Order (source document for counts).
  • AF Form 544 — Used with weighted data from AF Form 2573.
  • AFMAN 44-144 — Nutritional Medicine Service Management (primary guidance for NM operations, including use of the diet census for workload and benchmarking).
  • AFI 44-102 — Medical Care Management (covers broader Medical Nutrition Therapy context).

Why Accurate Diet Census Matters in the Air Force?

Proper use of AF Form 2573 ensures:

  • Patient safety — Correct therapeutic diets for conditions like diabetes, cardiac issues, renal disease, or post-surgical needs.
  • Operational efficiency — Accurate forecasting of food production, inventory, and staffing in medical food service.
  • Cost control — Supports subsistence purchasing and inventory management under Defense Logistics Agency or prime vendor contracts.
  • Performance tracking — Feeds into USAF Dietetics Benchmarking Tool metrics, including inpatient weighted nutrition procedures and MEPRS data.

In an era of mission-focused readiness, reliable nutritional support directly impacts recovery times, readiness, and overall force health.

Download the Official AF Form 2573

Access the current official PDF directly from the Air Force e-Publishing site:

→ Download AF Form 2573 Diet Census PDF

Always verify you are using the most recent version through the official Air Force e-Publishing portal. Previous editions are obsolete.

Need Help or Additional Resources?

  • Contact your local MTF Nutritional Medicine Service or MAJCOM Dietitian Consultant for training or clarification on acuity factors.
  • Review AFMAN 44-144 for comprehensive NM management guidance.
  • For diet therapy career field questions (AFSC 4D0X1), refer to applicable occupational survey reports and training materials.

Keywords: AF Form 2573, Diet Census Air Force, Air Force medical food service, nutritional medicine service form, AF Form 1094, weighted diet census, therapeutic diet tracking, USAF MTF patient feeding.

This article is for informational purposes and is based on official Air Force publications and form instructions. Always follow current local guidance, AFMAN 44-144, and consult your chain of command or dietetics leadership for implementation.