PD125 - HOSPITAL FOOD AS A THERAPEUTIC TOOL

PD125

HOSPITAL FOOD AS A THERAPEUTIC TOOL

C. D'Eusebio^1,*, S. Arlotto¹, E. Conterno¹, A. Bracco¹, C. Brovia¹, R. Cane¹, A. Comba¹, C. Defilè¹, D. Longoni¹, E. Lenta¹, C. Dalla Costa¹

¹Clinical Nutrition and Eating Disorders Unit, Ferrero Hospital, Verduno, Italy

Rationale: Disease-related malnutrition (DRM) is a nosological entity linked to worst clinical outcomes and an increase in healthcare costs. Although hospital food (HF) is one of the most powerful therapies against DRM, practices regarding it are heterogeneous and therapeutical diets are sometimes arbitrarily prescribed. Nutritional screening (NS) is a tool that allows identification of patients at nutritional risk and can thereby guide the prescription of therapeutic diets. However, it's not yet widely integrated into routine practice. 

Since 2021, a project has been underway at Verduno Hospital aimed at improving HF by promoting high-quality meals while simultaneously raising awareness among healthcare workers about the potential benefits of HF.

Methods: In 2025, HF audits were conducted across 13 hospital wards (136 clinical records). Data collected were: appropriateness of HF prescriptions, concordance between prescribed and delivered meals, patient satisfaction, food waste and the proportion of NS performed.

Results: Diet prescriptions were appropriate in 87% of cases and cordance between prescribed and delivered meals was observed in 88% of cases. Dietary variety was judged adequate by 92% of patients. Overall patient satisfaction with the food service was high, with a mean rating of 8/10. Mean plate waste was 30%. Notably, only 30% of patients underwent NS.

Conclusion: Following the reorganization of the HF service, patient satisfaction showed favorable results, although plate waste remains moderate. With regard to the management of malnutrition, despite the overall appropriateness of prescribed diets, the use of NS remains limited and has not yet been fully integrated into routine clinical practice. 

Disclosure of Interest: None declared