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.
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