Dietary policy- vent

Nurses Relations

Published

Quick little vent. When I was sitting most recently, dietary came in to see what pt wanted for lunch. Pt is 350lb female. Dietary suggested several different possible meals, some of which were balanced (others of which I could buy at McDonald's). Pt wants something from several meal choices. Hamburger steak, grilled cheese, Mac and cheese, loaded baked potato, broccoli with cheese sauce (yay?) and apple cobbler with diet Pepsi and whole milk. Dietary didn't say a word, just entered it in computer. Really? Really?! No contempt for the pt because MAYBE pt doesn't know any better... But shouldn't there be something in place that pts can order one entree item, 2 veggie-ish sides and maybe a dessert and that's it? Come on. Ugh. Cheers, pt. Cheers to your next hospital-sanctioned obesity-related health crisis.

Specializes in Cath lab, acute, community.
Canned, my hospital has a McDonald's. It's tied into a children's hospital as well. Surely mine can't be the ONLY one?!?

I surely hope it is. That's shocking.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Think Ronald McDonald House.....there are options at Micky Ds that are not so shocking. and, portion control is the important thing.

I surely hope it is. That's shocking.
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

HCAHPS stands for Hospital CONSUMER assessment of healthcare providers - in other words, the patient's assessment of how well we are doing

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Aren't hospital supposed to promote HEALTH? Mc Donalds is the BEST EXAMPLE of unhealthy eating!

I agree in general with you, but at the same time have a little different perspective. As a former pediatric oncology nurse we were THRILLED if the kids would eat, and a lot of the time nobody really cared if it was healthy or not. Nothing worse than watching them starve, and seeing them with a Big Mac and some fries often made my day. Healthy food would have been much better, but you take what you can get.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.
Aren't hospital supposed to promote HEALTH? Mc Donalds is the BEST EXAMPLE of unhealthy eating!

I would think the hospitals would want to get you just well enough so you can go home and make them look good but still baseline sick enough to come back.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am 'justavolunteer' on a pt. unit. The policy where I am is that if something is not on a patient's diet, the kitchen will not send it. Most patients accept the fact (the kitchen will suggest alternates when the patient orders). However, there are some who cuss out the kitchen person who answers the phone, the nurses & CNA's, me, and anyone else they can find. Some patients even try to go downstairs, patient band, hospital gown & all and try to BUY goodies. The kitchen won't knowingly sell to patients, precisely because of possible diet restrictions. I have been a patient myself before. I am well aware that diet restrictions and being NPO are no fun. Sometimes I just wonder, though, why people whose dietary habits brought them to the hospital won't do the least little thing to improve their health.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

When I worked in dietary, I used to serve double cheeseburger to patients in ICU with a smile. Also, trust me on this, I prepare the food too, the kids are TEN TIMES worse. 6 years old and eating 6 chicken fingers, a double order of french fries, and three cups of chocolate ice cream. An 11 year old's mother complaining to me because her daughter didn't recieve the double cheeseburger, two bags of potato chips, chef salad, chocolate icecream, and mega-sized coke due to dietary restrictions. My mother would have been the one having a coronary if I had been eating that stuff as a kid, a hamburger was a rare treat, and I had balanced meals whether I liked it or not. This is all for patient satisfaction.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cath lab, acute, community.
Aren't hospital supposed to promote HEALTH? Mc Donalds is the BEST EXAMPLE of unhealthy eating!

I agree in general with you, but at the same time have a little different perspective. As a former pediatric oncology nurse we were THRILLED if the kids would eat, and a lot of the time nobody really cared if it was healthy or not. Nothing worse than watching them starve, and seeing them with a Big Mac and some fries often made my day. Healthy food would have been much better, but you take what you can get.

I work in a paeds hospital, and the weight management clinic we run has a 8 month waiting list! It's scary stuff. Kids are fat - they need to be taught Maccas is a sometimes food.

I would think the hospitals would want to get you just well enough so you can go home and make them look good but still baseline sick enough to come back.

In Australia, the public hospitals want less people and the private hospitals wouldn't mind if people came back! Money money money!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

Growing up in NZ I didn't get to eat my first McD's until 8 because there wasn't one until we moved. Now where I live now in the US there is 3 within about a mile.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Forensic Psych.

Canned, my hospital has a McDonald's. It's tied into a children's hospital as well. Surely mine can't be the ONLY one?!?

Texas Children's has a McDonald's in it as well. When I first saw it I freaked out...how could a a hospital feel comfortable serving that crap? Then I ate at the cafeteria and I realized it's all the same crap, name branded or not.

I really think it's just some sort of "repayment" to the company for sponsoring the Ronald McDonald houses.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
how mad would you be if your mother/father/child/brother who hadn't eaten in DAYS or maybe a week finally got to order what they wanted to eat. they wanted mac and cheese (a side item) mashed potatoes (side item) and mixed veggies.....NOPE! sorry! you only get two side items!

why? because someone who has lost control of their weight has to have restrictions put on how many entrees they can order?

it's frustrating to watch someone kill themself with nicotine, alcohol, or food....but there's not much anyone can do about it. thank goodness we still have the freedom to choose.

I didn't see anything in the OP that suggested this Pt had not eaten or been restricted in diet for any amount of time.

Let me ask, if the Pt was in for problems r/t ETOH abuse, would you condone giving them all the booze they can drink?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Thanks for all the replies so far! I guess I'm just still naive...

I think you're the opposite of naive.

As a society, we're not willing to allow consequences for counter-productive behavior. We just keep on rewarding the Pt with unlimited (often free-to-them) hospital stays, etc that cost tens of thousands of dollars. And we keep on doing this until they die of what brought them in the first time.

It's not realistic to expect many 350 lb people to get down to 200. But it can and should be realistic to expect them to get to 320, or at least not go to 400.

Well, it would be realistic if we had the courage to tell them the truth in stark terms.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment