Determining the complexity of patient satisfaction with foodservices.

OBJECTIVES: (a) To identify the psychological dimensions representing how patients perceive the quality of foodservice; (b) to identify which dimensions best explain variation in the satisfaction ratings of patients; and (c) to identify subgroups based on individual characteristics of patients and contextual factors.
DESIGN: Survey questionnaire.
SETTING: Patients of a specialized acute-care urban hospital in Canada.
SUBJECTS: One hundred thirty-two hospitalized patients (minimum stay of 5 days) who had not received nutrition counseling. Subjects excluded from the study were patients with notable physical, cognitive, or emotional limitations; patients receiving enteral or parenteral nutrition; and patients from long-term-care units. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Overall satisfaction with meals and with foodservices, and satisfaction with 26 specific foodservice attributes. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Factor analysis followed by orthogonal rotation (varimax), stepwise multiple regression analysis, and one-way analysis of variance.
RESULTS: Seven dimensions represented patients' perceptions of foodservice: food quality, service timeliness, service reliability, food temperature, attitude of the staff who deliver menus, attitude of the staff who serve meals, and customization. Food quality was the best predictor of patient satisfaction with meals and foodservice, followed by customization and attitude of the staff who deliver menus. Individual characteristics (gender, age, education, perception of degree of control over health, and belief that food influences one's health status) and contextual factors (normal or therapeutic diet, time spent at rest, and appetite) influenced patient satisfaction. IMPLICATIONS: The results emphasize the need for a comprehensive and differentiated approach in measuring and monitoring patient satisfaction with foodservices.