Foodservice Satisfaction Research Articles

Measuring Nursing Home Resident Satisfaction With Food and Food Service: Initial Testing of the FoodEx-LTC

Malnutrition impacts the quality of life and general health of many older persons living in our nation's 20,000 nursing homes (1). Despite the urgency of this issue, no instrument that measures resident satisfaction with food and food service was found in an extensive literature search. The purpose of this article is to describe the development and initial testing of a resident satisfaction with food and food service questionnaire (FoodEx-LTC) in the context of the Quality Nutrition Outcomes-Long-Term Care Model. This pilot study was conducted in two phases. During phase one the instrument was developed, peer-reviewed, and pretested. Phase two further tested the instrument using a correlational design, measuring both intermediate and long-term outcomes found on the Quality Nutrition Outcomes-Long-Term Care Model. Hypothesis testing was used to measure construct validity. 4 of 5 FoodEx-LTC domains were significantly correlated with depression, 2 of 5 with serum albumin. The FoodEx-LTC demonstrates acceptable reliability for a new instrument. The coefficient alpha scores ranged from.69-.87 and test-retest correlations ranged from.55-.89, dependent upon domain. FoodEx-LTC appears to be a valid and reliable measure of resident food and food service satisfaction in nursing homes. This line of inquiry is of great importance because perceived quality of food and food service are strongly related to quality of life for residents in nursing homes, and adequate food intake is integral to maintaining weight and preventing protein-calorie malnutrition among elderly residents.

High School Food Service Satisfaction in Louisiana

Reaching for results and demonstrating its dedication to improve all aspects of education, the Louisiana Department of Education, Division of Nutrition Assistance, offered all school food authorities in the state the opportunity to participate in a high school student satisfaction survey at no cost to the school systems. The High School Foodservice Survey, developed by the Applied Research Division of the National Food Service Management Institute, was administered to students statewide. Participation was voluntary. Training sessions for directors were conducted to discuss the importance of conducting the survey, steps involved, and how the results could be used for continuous improvement in foodservice. A total of 342 high schools representing 70 districts participated. More than 79,000 students were surveyed. Overall satisfaction with the school foodservice program was measured, as well as the degree of satisfaction with six factors: food quality, staff, nutrition, time/cost, dining ambiance, and diversity. Survey results indicated that, in five of the six areas, Louisiana ranked higher than the national average. Additionally, results indicated school specific and statewide areas for improvement. Using survey results as a base, school foodservice directors have begun working with employees in their districts to meet the needs of the student customer. School foodservice in Louisiana continues to strive to increase students’ satisfection and participation while improving the overall operation of its Child Nutrition Program.

Evaluation of Food Service Satisfaction Surveys in an Inpatient Psychiatric Facility

LEARNING OUTCOME: To demonstrate the effectiveness of Continuous Quality Improvement in a psychiatric facility.Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) managerial tools, such as surveying and benchmarking, are essential for evaluating and monitoring patient satisfaction. From 1993 through 1995, surveys regarding the food and food service were administered to inpatients at a state mental health center. Two other inpatient psychiatric facilities were also surveyed to provide comparison groups for benchmarking. The state facility provided a non-select menu with bulk food delivery. Survey and benchmarking results during 1993 indicated that the patients at the state hospital were less satisfied with their food than patients at the other two psychiatric facilities. Overall satisfaction was rated at 60%: 30% lower than the other two facilities. This gap in patient satisfaction provided the objective data needed to convince administration to change the method of food service. Following the implementation of a new food delivery system in December, 1993, overall satisfaction increased 18%. The new system consisted of self-select menus and individual tray delivery. All survey variables increased significantly (p≤.01) and became comparable between the three psychiatric facilities. The surveys collected during 1995 continued to demonstrate a high level of satisfaction at the state facility.This study is an excellent example of how a psychiatric facility used CQI tools to survey its population, benchmark comparisons and use the data for quality planning and control. It provides a framework that other healthcare facilities can follow to improve and monitor patient services.