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.