Hospital Food Services Satisfaction Survey among Healthcare Professionals in a Tunisian University Hospital

Abstract

Background: Periodic monitoring of food quality can help determine the staff’s satisfaction at any institution, such as the hospital. However, the lack of published studies on the evaluation of staff’s satisfaction with hospital food prompted us to conduct the first survey on this topic in Tunisia. The aim was to determine the prevalence of food satisfaction among health professionals and identify factors affecting the satisfaction level. Methods: It was an analytic cross-sectional study conducted among all staff members of Farhat Hached University Hospital in Sousse in November 2020. Data collection took place over a period of 10 days with one service being surveyed per day. Free and informed consent was obtained from all participants. Categorical variables were described in percentages and compared using the Chisquare test. Univariate analyses were performed to examine associations between the level of satisfaction and various factors. Binary logistic regression was used to eliminate confounding factors. Results: A total of 240 professionals participated in the survey. The majority were female (72.5%) with an M/F sex ratio of 0.38, under 40 years old (94.6%), medical doctors (78.8%), and having less than 5 years of professional experience (73.3%). The overall satisfaction rate was 33.3%. The majority of healthcare professionals were not satisfied with the quality of food (75.8%) and with the personal hygiene of staff who presented the food (78.4%). Factors associated with hospital food satisfaction were the taste and variety of food, cleanliness, quality of dishes, and consuming the entire meal. Conclusion: It is the first study to report the meal experience as perceived by hospital staff in Tunisia. The overall satisfaction rate has been found to be 33.3%, which remains low. Efforts should be made to improve the presentation of all meals. Periodic monitoring of food quality can help determine if recommendations and staff expectations are being met.