TASTE, TEMPERATURE, AND PRESENTATION PREDICT SATISFACTION WITH FOODSERVICES IN A CANADIAN CONTINUING-CARE HOSPITAL

Objective To identify food, service, and patient variables associated with high satisfaction with foodservices in a continuing-care hospital that serves, primarily, geriatric patients and patients undergoing ph ysical rehabilitation. Design Survey questionnaire concerning eight as pects of food and foodservice as well as type of diet and major patien t descriptors. Subjects All patients from geriatric continuing-care un its, geriatric rehabilitation units, and physical rehabilitation units at Saint-Vincent Pavilion were considered potential respondents. A co nvenience sample of 65 clients met the established inclusion criteria and were willing to participate. Patients had to be able to communicat e their views, and the clinical nursing staff judged all respondents t o be cognitively able to provide opinions concerning food and foodserv ice. The mean age of subjects was 67 years, the mean length of stay in the hospital was 2 years, and 60% of the subjects were women (n=39). Statistical analyses Spearman rank correlations, univariate analyses ( t tests for continuously distributed data, chi(2) tests for categorica l data), and multivariate analyses (regular and logistic regression). Results In general, patients questioned were extremely positive about the quality and quantity of food and foodservices at this continuing-c are/rehabilitation hospital. Type of diet and patient characteristics were not differentially associated with high levels of overall satisfa ction with foodservices (as assessed by a general satisfaction questio n). Univariate analyses revealed that all aspects of foodservices (exc ept quantity of food) were significantly correlated with overall satis faction. Multivariate analyses showed that satisfaction with presentat ion of meal was the best predictor of overall satisfaction and that cl ients who were very satisfied with the taste of food and were very sat isfied that cold food was cold enough were the most satisfied overall. Knowledge of key variables as assessed by multivariate analyses (ie, taste and coldness) predicted whether clients were very satisfied over all 80% of the time. Applications Surveys are useful tools for assessi ng the ways in which clients view the food and services provided by di etitians. Dietitians in continuing-care settings need to focus on a fe w specific characteristics related to what is eaten and how food is pr esented, rather than on patient-specific variables, when trying to max imize satisfaction with hospital food. The information in this study c an be used as a baseline against which future data can be compared. Th e survey contributes to a continuing quality assurance process that al lows dietitians to track the effect of changes that are made to food a nd foodservices and to monitor areas that require modification.