Foodservice satisfaction levels among patients in private hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

The quality of foodservice is strongly associated with patient satisfaction in hospitals, and most hospital foodservice organisations are changing their focus on to patient care in order to boost patient satisfaction. The public’s perception of hospitals is always considered as an institution, and institutional catering is generally viewed as low class. This negative image of hospital food is common and is therefore not necessarily related to the food itself but to other factors in hospitals. This study aims to investigate the levels of satisfaction with foodservice amongst patients in private hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal. A quantitative research approach was used for the study, and the data was collected by means of a structured questionnaire that was targeted at patients admitted to various wards at three private hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal. Overall, the study concluded that patients were generally satisfied with the foodservice in hospitals. However, some patients were found to be dissatisfied with cultural considerations in menu choices, meal serving times and the availability of healthy food choices.