Hospital food

[Still Riding]

This is a little on the lighter side than most topics.

when helping a Pt eat and encouraging them to eat their meal do you ever think "your food looks disgusting, and the smell makes me gag" while you are telling them "your food smells so good and you should try and eat some so that you can get the nutrients and start feeling better"

I think this ever time i set up the meal try that the food looks gross.

what do you think?

[suebird3]

According to my mom, the food she had after I was born was pretty decent. What happened over the years, I have NO idea. Maybe to decrease the hospital stay?

Suebird :chuckle

[Fonenurse]

I was a patient recently and ordered broccoli quiche - what actually came up on the plate was... well, certainly not that! It was textured vegetable protein (tofu or similar) made to look like minced pork, but tasted of nothing and as rubbery. There was nothing green on the plate. I never saw a vegetable that meal time.

We were taught that diet, particularly following surgery was important to aid recuperation - and how does the food served up these days help in that? Well, IMO it doesn't! It wastes money because the food gets thrown away and the patients eat junk to compensate.

[jilliebean]

My dh was hospitalized for CV observation, and you should have seen the mystery plate he was served. I have absolutely no idea what this thing was. It looked a bit like a pot pie, but filled with some type of meat in some form that just looked disgusting. He said it tasted bad, too. I can't begin to imagine that this was a heart healthy meal. For one thing, one of the things that made it all so mysterious was the gravy bath in which it was submerged.

IT HAD TO BE THE SHEPHERD'S PIE!

[lpnstudentin2010, LPN]

my hospital actually has REALLY good food. It is Childrens in boston. i am a patient there and always look forward to having lunch in the cafe or if i am in the hospital for an impatient stay to have breakfast lunch or dinner

[JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP]

Actually Sinai hospital in Detroit has, or had, really good food. My mother gave birth to my siblings there and she always raved about the food. I remember visiting her after my younger sister was born. My mother had steak, sauteed spinach and a baked potato.

[LydiaNN]

My Mom said hospital food was great when we were born, too. And between 5 of us, we were born in 4 different hospitals. I think it is just one of the many things that have changed, some not for the better, about hospital stays over the years.

[rn/writer, RN]

Many of the hospitals in our area have switched to room service for patient meals. That term does tend to reinforce the idea (especially on a postpartum unit) that we're running a hotel, but it seems to be an improvement in the long run. From 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM patients can order from an extensive menu that includes salads, really good entrees, and homemade baked goods.

I had the chance to try a lot of the choices when I was in orientation, but on night shift, I can only dream. Once in a while, I'll treat myself to breakfast before going home.

Room service certainly seems to cut down on the wasted trays I remember from the old days. Food would arrive whether the patient was hungry or not and the choices were limited to two main entrees. Some people complained that we were starving them, while others said they'd never eat all that was on their tray.

As a patient at a different hospital, I saw the same kind of results. Even people on special diets have room service menus with exchanges or numbers listed beside the choices so they can come up with their own plan and still stay within their limitations. For the newly diagnosed, it's good practice before going home with a new diet.

The upshot seems to be far less waste and an increase in patient autonomy and satisfaction.

BTW, I know of people who have no connection with either of these hospitals who still stop in a couple of times a week to eat in the cafeteria. That says a lot.

[lpnstudentin2010, LPN]

Many of the hospitals in our area have switched to room service for patient meals. That term does tend to reinforce the idea (especially on a postpartum unit) that we're running a hotel, but it seems to be an improvement in the long run. From 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM patients can order from an extensive menu that includes salads, really good entrees, and homemade baked goods.

I had the chance to try a lot of the choices when I was in orientation, but on night shift, I can only dream. Once in a while, I'll treat myself to breakfast before going home.

Room service certainly seems to cut down on the wasted trays I remember from the old days. Food would arrive whether the patient was hungry or not and the choices were limited to two main entrees. Some people complained that we were starving them, while others said they'd never eat all that was on their tray.

As a patient at a different hospital, I saw the same kind of results. Even people on special diets have room service menus with exchanges or numbers listed beside the choices so they can come up with their own plan and still stay within their limitations. For the newly diagnosed, it's good practice before going home with a new diet.

The upshot seems to be far less waste and an increase in patient autonomy and satisfaction.

BTW, I know of people who have no connection with either of these hospitals who still stop in a couple of times a week to eat in the cafeteria. That says a lot.

:yeahthat: this is what my hospital does

[judyblueeyes]

We have 'room service' too and a second menu for long term pts. Our food is pretty good overall (except the noodle dishes which are always soggy and overcooked). Breakfast and lunch is very good, dinner is less good. We also got a new cook and department director recently, so we are enjoying some new changes now.

[truern]

Back in the 80s I worked at Egleston Children's Hospital in Atlanta, and the food in the cafeteria was SOOOOO good that locals would come eat lunch and get food to go for dinner later. Especially the chicken and huge fluffy yeast rolls.....nummy!!

Sadly, that's the last good hospital food I've had:rolleyes:

[LydiaNN]

The food at Children's Hospital here isn't good at all. The entrees always lookas if they've been in those steam pans a bit too long. Pasta just doesn't keep well, either. The noodles get all gummy and the sauce coagulates. They do have a grill where you can order sandwiches, but of course the long for that is always long. There is a salad and sandwich bar, too, which are okay and usually what I end up eating.

[SmilingBluEyes]

The meals at my hospital are my biggest embarassment. I hate bringing that JUNK to my patients and when they complain, I beg them to put this on their critique forms and write letters. It's that horrible.