Hospital food feedback app helping improve patient experience

Project team (L-R) RBWH Dietitian Felicity Myers; RBWH Chef Sreejith Unni; Consumer Advocate Dale Trevor, RBWH Director Dietetics and Food Services Dr Merrilyn Banks; patient Heather Dent and RBWH Chef David Abdelnour Melendez.

Hospital food is undergoing a revolution at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH), thanks to a new patient feedback app.

“Undergoing treatment at hospital can be a really stressful time, so getting a meal that’s comforting and enjoyable can make a big difference,” said Dr Adrienne Young, RBWH Dietitian Researcher.

“By creating a simple, anonymous survey – delivered via QR code to a patient’s device – we now have a dashboard that rates every meal at every service, triggering menu adjustments and new recipes.”

RBWH Dietetics and Food Services partnered with consumer representatives and patients to create a digital solution for real-time feedback on meal quality.

RBWH patient Heather Dent described the app as a great development in patient care.

“It is a way for the patient’s voice to be heard,” said Heather.

“Patients are the reason this hospital exists. So, if we don’t have a say, then we’re not getting the care that we really need. It may be something that’s quite small, like the tea bags, or it might be something that’s seriously important.”

The RBWH kitchen serves nearly 2,000 meals every day, catering to a range of dietary requirements, food intolerances and allergies. Any meal which scores less than three stars is reviewed and improved.

“We hope that, by having this system well tested and embedded at RBWH, we can help develop a product that could be used to improve nutrition in any hospital, anywhere in the world,” said Dr Young.

Ultimately though, the proof of the pudding is in the eating – or in this case, the eating of a Thai Salmon Noodle Salad. Thanks to ongoing patient feedback and a recipe overhaul, a once dismal rating of 2.7 stars rose all the way to a ‘delicious’ 4.1 stars.

The app was created with the support of a 2022 RBWH Foundation Extraordinary Opportunities Grant.