Abstract
BACKGROUND: Malnutrition in hospitals may be combatted by improving the meal service. AIM: To evaluate whether At Your Request((R)), a meal service concept by Sodexo with a restaurant style menu card and room service, improved patient satisfaction, nutritional status, and food intake compared to the traditional 3-meals per day service. METHODS: We prospectively collected data in Hospital Gelderse Vallei (Ede, the Netherlands) before (2011/2012; n = 168, age 63 +/- 15 y) and after (2013/2014; n = 169, 66 +/- 15 y) implementing At Your Request((R)). RESULTS: Patient satisfaction increased after implementing At Your Request((R)) from 7.5 to 8.1 (scale 1-10) and from 124.5 to 132.9 points on a nutrition-related quality of life questionnaire (p < 0.05). Body weight and handgrip strength did not significantly change in both periods. At admission, more patients in the At Your Request((R)) period had risk of malnutrition (MUST >/= 1; 47 vs 37). MUST scores improved in 18 patients in both periods. With At Your Request((R)) 0.92 g protein per kg (g/kg) bodyweight was ordered. Protein intake based on food records from patients on an energy and protein enriched diet was 0.84 g/kg during At Your Request((R)) (n = 38) versus 0.91 g/kg during the traditional meal service (n = 34). CONCLUSION: At Your Request((R)) is a highly rated hospital menu concept that helps patients to maintain nutritional status. The concept offers options for improving the intake of specific nutrients and foods, which should be evaluated in further studies.
