Consumer feedback cooking up better meals

A good meal is one of life’s pleasures, and when a patient is in hospital, it can often be one of the few things they have to look forward to.

A consumer-led research project at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) is seeking to make ongoing improvement to the taste and presentation of meals served to patients.

The ‘How good was my meal’ project involved providing a survey to patients, which was accessed via a QR code on hospital tray placemats, allowing them to record in real time a feedback score on a particular meal.

In the survey, patients choose their meal and rate it on a scale of one to five, with the results recorded digitally.

Project lead and RBWH consumer representative Dale Trevor said the aim of the project was to ascertain if the rating of a meal went up when RBWH Dietetics and Food Services cooks and dietitians tried to make improvements.

“We would take a meal scoring low and try to get it to score higher in the coming weeks, by making simple changes such as ensuring the meat in the roast was tender, the vegetables were baked so they were crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle, or the scrambled eggs were the right consistency,” Dale said.

“We also kept track of high-scoring meals to see what might cause the scores to dip a little.

“By improving on the meals we serve to patients, we help people to eat more while they are in hospital and decrease food waste. We want people to enjoy their meal while they are here.”

The project involved consumers, dieticians, food service staff and cooks, in addition to consultation with many patients on the wards to ensure the survey was easy to complete.

Consumer-led research projects provide a unique perspective to Metro North Health’s research capabilities, with simple ideas often leading to the most profound discoveries.

Dale said his time in hospital as a burns patient inspired the ‘How good was my meal’ project.

“Eight years ago, I was at RBWH with burns to 33 per cent of my body. Good nutrition was a vital component of my recovery, which is why I’m so passionate about ensuring all RBWH patients enjoy their meals,” Dale said.

“I encourage all Metro North researchers to involve consumers early on in research projects and ensure they are listened to. Consumers are vital and enthusiastic members of an innovative team.”