Can patient-written comments help explain patient satisfaction with food quality?

This study identified themes in patient-written comments about meals served in a hospital and determined the relationship of those themes to patient food-quality satisfaction ratings among medical and surgical patients. Data from 2 years of quantitative Press Ganey patient-satisfaction ratings and qualitative comments related to meals by 1,077 patients discharged from a Midwest urban medical center were reviewed retrospectively. Themes in comments were identified. Results indicated that patient satisfaction with food quality did not differ based on sex or age, but did differ based on length of stay, perceived health status, and whether a patient provided written comments or not. The most common comments focused on the temperature of hot food, receiving what was ordered, and satisfaction with foodservice staff. The tenor of comments differed by food-quality rating given. Overall food quality rating was best predicted by food-related comments rather than comments about staff, or other issues not addressed in the Press Ganey quantitative questionnaire.

Are registered dietitians adequately prepared to be hospital foodservice directors?

OBJECTIVE: To determine perceived importance of selected competencies for the role of hospital foodservice director and explore whether registered dietitians (RDs) are perceived competent in these areas. DESIGN: Data were collected through a mailed questionnaire. SUBJECTS: A random sample of 500 hospital foodservice directors and 500 hospital executives to whom the directors report. ANALYSIS: Chi2, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskall-Wallis tests were used to examine differences among ratings by and demographic characteristics of foodservice directors and the executives with whom they work. RESULTS: All competencies were perceived to be important for someone in the role of hospital foodservice director. RDs were perceived to be somewhat competent in all areas studied but were only perceived to be competent to expert in a few of the areas. Directors who were RDs and hospital executives who had worked with RDs rated the competence level of RDs higher than did non-RD directors and hospital executives who had not worked with RDs. CONCLUSIONS: Unique competencies appear to be important for those aspiring to become hospital foodservice directors. Hospital executives who had worked with RDs perceived the competency level of RDs to be higher than did executives who had not worked with RDs. Often, areas rated as most important for the role of hospital foodservice director were not areas in which RDs were perceived to be highly competent. Additional competency development may be needed to better prepare RDs to assume the role of hospital foodservice director.

A survey of perceived benefit and differences in therapy provided by credentialed and noncredentialed nutrition support dietitians.

BACKGROUND: Benefits of the certified nutrition support dietitian (CNSD) credential to clinicians, their patients, and healthcare administrators have not been defined. A study was designed to measure the difference in cost of therapy provided by credentialed and noncredentialed nutrition support dietitians and to measure the perceived value of the credential to those who hold it. METHODS: Using a modified Delphi technique, a questionnaire was developed to obtain demographic information, responses to statements of perceived benefit of the credential, and costs of therapy selected for patients in common clinical scenarios. RESULTS: Of the 691 questionnaires mailed, 314 (45%) were returned. For 8 of 10 statements of perceived benefit, mean response scores indicated agreement. Respondents did not agree that salary increases resulted from credentialing. There was no difference between groups in the type of monitoring selected or in the time to complete an initial assessment. Cost of therapy was significantly higher for credentialed versus noncredentialed dietitians (dollar 915.67 +/- dollar 241.73 versus dollar 851.78 +/- dollar 243.44; p = .035), although the survey was not designed to show that the most appropriate care was least expensive. CONCLUSIONS: The CNSD credential is of perceived benefit to practitioners except in obtaining salary increases. Credentialed dietitians selected more expensive therapy than noncredentialed dietitians, which would benefit healthcare administrators only if reduction of other costs resulted. More complex models are needed to fully assess the benefit of credentialed nutrition support dietitians to patients and healthcare administrators.