A multidisciplinary exploration of patients' and their relative' experiences of food and nutritional care: baseline data from an action research study

Abstract

Hospital organisational culture is a major contributing factor to lapses in healthcare delivery, critically affecting all aspects of patient care [1]. Providing optimum food, hydration and nutritional care is a fundamental aspect of patient care that facilitates recovery and reduces complications associated with the adverse consequences of malnutrition (undernutrition), such as prolonged hospital stays and increased mortality, aside from significant cost implications [2]. Evidence on organisational culture in health care institutions has demonstrated a significant association with staff actions and behaviours that stem from shared ways of thinking, which has implications for patients’ experiences and service delivery [3].