status of dietetics and food services in main hospitals in Jordan

Information on dietetics and food services was collected from eleven main hospitals in Jordan regarding qualifications, experience, job description and problems facing dietitians and food service personnel. Data regarding the number of beds and types of diets served in these hospitals were also collected. The distribution of diets in these hospitals as a% of total diets was as follows :- 59.4% regular, 9.0% salt-restriced, 8.5% diabetic, 4.4% high-protein and 3.1% soft. The results showed that there were 39 dietitians with a university degree and 35 technical workers and 183 other workers serving in these hospitals. Overall average of beds per dietitian was 73 [range of 32 to 175]. About half of the dietitians had a work experience of 2-4 years while none of them have had any training course in dietetics since appointment. Problems faced by these dietitians included poor coordination with the physician and nurse, inadequate recognition of the important therapeutic role of the dietitian, and unavailability of local food exchange lists. The present survey emphasizes the need for increasing the number of dietitians and their level of training in many of the Jordanian hospitals, and for a legislation to organize the practice of this profession