Meeting Patient Expectations

-
Aase, S. (2012). Hospital foodservice and patient experience: what's new?. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 112(5), S18-S22.


Hospital foodservice is continuously evolving to meet growing expectations of patients and customers. Many operations have moved from normal service styles to room-service or cook-to-order menus in order to satisfy patient wishes. An article from 2011, written in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, explains that what is happening in hospital food service is similar to the trend seen in society, with more people eating out at restaurants where they expect to see many choices and high quality food. Hospital food service operations are constantly pushed to deliver more with less. Dietitians, food service managers, chefs, and the entire team are being challenged with higher food costs, increasing technological advances, and reductions in reimbursement. In order to keep customers satisfied, team members will need to be creative and excel in all areas of customer service. According to multiple studies, improved tray delivery and empathic communication may matter more to overall customer satisfaction than food quality.  RDs will need to become more efficient and involved in the hospital foodservice operation where there will likely be a stronger emphasis on nutrition.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Are All Sugars Created Equal?

-
Image
Are All Sugars Created Equal?  I think one of the most confusing nutrition topics for people is sugar. With so many conflicting stories out there, it’s difficult to separate the facts from the fiction. Not to mention, the types of sugars are endless. How do we know what’s best for our bodies? White or brown sugar? Cane or raw? Should we just go with Stevia instead? Is it even okay to consume artificial sweeteners? Should we avoid foods with high amounts of natural sugar in them? Each answer only seems to lead to another question!  Let’s start off with distinguishing the purpose of sugar in the first place. Do our bodies even need it? The short answer is yes! Sugars are carbohydrates (what we commonly call “carbs”), one of the three main macronutrients that our bodies need for fuel to function and survive. One of the major ways to categorize sugar is by separating the “natural” sugars from the “added” sugars. Natural sugars are, well, naturally found in foods. They give us the energy th
Read more

Milk Mythbusters

-
Image
Just like with any nutrition topic, the facts about milk can become convoluted pretty quickly. Whether you drink milk for the protein, the nutrients, the flavor, or just like to switch it up, there are pros and cons to every kind. Here are some quick nutritional facts about each type to help you decide which is best for you. Animal-Based Milks  Whole Milk: The original diary drink. It gets a bad rap, but what whole milk has going for it, is that it’s in its proper nutritional form. Whole milk contains all of its original fat-soluble vitamins, A, E, D, & K, along with the fat to help you absorb them all. It also has the proper concentrations and ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids, or your omega-3s and omega-6s, so that they are metabolized as they should be. The downside is that whole milk is calorically dense, meaning that a little goes a long way. You don’t need much to get what you need, so just don’t overdo it!  2% Milk: The fat content of 2% milk is about half of that in who
Read more