Evaluation of Patients\' Satisfaction with Food and Nutrition Service in Selected Hospitals Affiliated to Yazd Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in 2016-2017

Background: Food and nutrition services in hospitals are one of the factors effecting patients’ satisfaction. Appropriate management and supervision in the nutrition sector is an essential factor in reducing the costs and gaining patient satisfaction. The optimal performance of the nutrition sector accelerates improvement and can be useful in their satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate patients’ satisfaction with food and nutrition services in 2016-2017, Yazd, Iran. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study population included patients referring to the selected hospitals affiliated to Yazd Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences. A researcher-made questionnaire was used for data collection. This questionnaire had 19 questions that should be answered on a 5-point Likert scale (strongly agree, agree, no idea, disagree, and strongly disagree).  At the end of this questionnaire, a question was presented about the individual’s overall satisfaction with nutrition. Results: The average of patients’ satisfaction with food services was 4.40 ± 0.90. The lowest satisfaction rate was related to the inappropriate quality of dinner with an average of 4.02 ± 1.50. The highest level of satisfaction was related to the hygiene of food with an average of 4.69 ± 0.55. Conclusion: Hospital managers are required to take measures to increase the awareness of nutrition service personnel regarding the health and quality of food, their active presence by patients’ beds, give patients the right to choose, and take the necessary supervision to increase the variety of meals.