Hospital foodservice attributes associated with inpatient satisfaction: A cross-sectional study
https://doi.org/10.52235/lp.v7i3.987
Keywords:
food service, hospital, inpatients, patient satisfactionAbstract
Background: Hospital foodservice contributes to nutritional care and patient experience. Local complaints concerning food presentation, utensil cleanliness, menu variety, meal temperature, and staff interactions indicated a need to examine which service attributes were associated with inpatient satisfaction.
Objective: To examine associations between seven hospital foodservice attributes and inpatient satisfaction.
Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from 6 to 13 April 2026. Ninety-nine inpatients who had been hospitalized for at least two days were recruited by quota sampling and interviewed using a structured SERVQUAL-informed questionnaire. Service-attribute scores and satisfaction scores were dichotomized at their respective sample medians. Dissatisfaction was the modeled outcome. Associations were estimated using chi-square tests, crude odds ratios (ORs), and multivariable logistic regression with adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results: Sixty-eight participants (68.7%) were satisfied. All seven service attributes were associated with dissatisfaction in bivariable analyses (p<0.05). In the final multivariable model, poor food presentation (AOR=35.159; 95% CI: 6.101-202.604), poor utensil cleanliness (AOR=48.325; 95% CI: 5.342-437.185), inadequate menu variety (AOR=9.500; 95% CI: 1.486-60.755), and poor food safety and hygiene (AOR=8.780; 95% CI: 1.599-48.224) remained associated with dissatisfaction. Utensil cleanliness had the largest AOR; however, the wide CIs indicate low precision.
Conclusion: Perceived foodservice attributes were associated with inpatient satisfaction, but the cross-sectional design does not establish causality. The magnitude of the adjusted estimates should be interpreted cautiously because the sample was small, quota sampling was used, and the model may be unstableequired.
Downloads
References
Abid, M. H., Shahid, R., Al Otaibi, F., et al. (2024). Leveraging an experience-based codesign approach to improve the inpatient food service experience. Cureus. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38405328/
Abou El Hassan, D., Lewis, R., Howe, N., & Vlietstra, E. (2022). Dining On Call: Outcomes of a hospital patient dining model. Healthcare Management Forum. https://doi.org/10.1177/08404704211038464
Barros, T. S. G., et al. (2025). Assessing patient satisfaction in hospital food service with a SERVQUAL-based model. Journal of Hospital Administration, 14(2), 9–19. https://doi.org/10.63564/jha.v14n2p9
Barsha, L., et al. (2023). Is meal order timing and flexibility key to improving patient satisfaction with hospital foodservices? Nutrition & Dietetics. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37335683/
Duan, Y., et al. (2023). A cross-sectional study of the endorsement proportion of reporting guidelines in medical journals. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-022-01789-1
EQUATOR Network. (2026). STROBE statement: Checklist for cross-sectional studies. https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/strobe/
Fuleihan, K., et al. (2024). Identifying solutions to minimize meal tray waste: A mixed-methods study of hospital foodservice. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38901948/
Furness, K., et al. (2023). Capturing patient perceptions using a novel hospital food experience questionnaire. Nutrition & Dietetics. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37375651/
Hadjimbei, E., et al. (2025). Evaluation of patients’ satisfaction with food services and associated factors in hospitals. Nutrients. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12361678/
Hosseinzadeh, M., et al. (2024). Assessment of healthcare service quality and patient satisfaction using the SERVQUAL questionnaire in Khuzestan Province during 2022–2023. Jundishapur Journal of Chronic Disease Care. https://brieflands.com/journals/jjcdc/articles/146329
Hoteit, M., Mortada, H., Al-Jawaldeh, A., et al. (2024). Quantifying hospital plate waste and identifying its correlates from patients’ perspectives in Lebanon. Scientific Reports, 14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80205-8
Jonathan, A., Segal, H., Patel, K., et al. (2023). Managing food waste in the inpatient population. BMJ Open Quality, 12, e002436. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjoq-2023-002436
Kidanemariam, G., et al. (2023). Improving patient satisfaction and associated factors at inpatient services through a quality-improvement intervention. BMC Health Services Research. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38027041/
Lai, H., & Gemming, L. (2021). Approaches to patient satisfaction measurement of the healthcare food services: A systematic review. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, 42, 61–72. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33745623/
Lalande, A., Harris, J., Kwon, Y., et al. (2024). Evaluating patient experience with food in a hospital-wide survey. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research. https://doi.org/10.3148/cjdpr-2023-027
Lam, L., et al. (2025). Exploring patient mealtime experience in an acute care setting: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study. Nutrition & Dietetics. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40437830/
Mabini, S. P., Jr., Narsico, L. O., & Narsico, P. G. (2024). Service quality, patient satisfaction, and improvement indicators. International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research, 5(4), 1331–1345. https://doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.05.04.18
Mahdavi-Roshan, M., Rezazadeh, A., Joukar, F., et al. (2023). Hospitals’ food services quality and factors associated with patients’ satisfaction in university hospitals in the north of Iran. Hospital Topics. https://doi.org/10.1080/00185868.2022.2026265
Manimaran, S., et al. (2025). Challenges and strategies to reduce food waste in Malaysian hospital foodservices. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39930430/
Neaves, B., et al. (2022). Impact of room service on nutritional intake, plate and production waste, meal quality and patient satisfaction. Nutrition & Dietetics. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34609060/
Okkels, S. L., et al. (2024). Individualised nutritional treatment increases the positive effects of an à la carte foodservice concept in hospitalised patients. Clinical Nutrition. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38220380/
Osman, N. S., Nor, N. M., Sharif, M. S., Hamid, S. B. A., & Rahamat, S. (2021). Hospital food service strategies to improve food intakes among inpatients: A systematic review. Nutrients, 13(10), 3649. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13103649
Piciocchi, C., et al. (2022). Innovative cooking techniques in a hospital food service: Effects on food waste and patient satisfaction. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34655953/
Potsi, F., et al. (2025). Evaluation of patient satisfaction with hospital foodservice. Nutrition & Dietetics. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39989396/
Rahmatia, S., et al. (2025). Service quality in hospital inpatient care: A SERVQUAL model analysis of patient satisfaction. BMC Health Services Research. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12505488/
Rapo, S., Mattson Sydner, Y., Kautto, E., & Hörnell, A. (2021). Exploring patient satisfaction with hospital foodservice: A Swedish study using the Acute Care Hospital Foodservice Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire. Nutrition & Dietetics, 78, 487–495. https://doi.org/10.1111/1747-0080.12665
Saraç, D. G., et al. (2026). Hospital food services, patient satisfaction and nutritional risk among inpatients. Nutrition & Dietetics. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41195953/
Sfeir, S., et al. (2025). Associations between plate waste, food experience and meal quality in a hospital inpatient setting: An exploratory study. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 38(6), e70175. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.70175
Steer, B., et al. (2025). Foodservice interventions and their influence on nutritional outcomes and satisfaction: A systematic review. Nutrition Reviews. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39992432/
Trinca, V., Duizer, L., & Keller, H. (2022a). Putting quality food on the tray: Factors associated with patients’ perceptions of the hospital food experience. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 35, 425–439. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12929
Trinca, V., Duizer, L., & Keller, H. (2023). The Hospital Food Experience Questionnaire predicts adult patient food intake. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 84, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3148/cjdpr-2022-024
Trinca, V., Iraniparast, M., Morrison-Koechl, J., et al. (2021). Hospital Food Experience Questionnaire (HFEQ): Reliable, valid and predicts food intake in adult patients. Clinical Nutrition. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34144411/
Trinca, V., Keller, H., & Duizer, L. (2022b). Investigating the patient food experience: Understanding hospital staffs’ perspectives on what leads to quality food provision in Ontario hospitals. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 35(5), 980–994. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12964
Wilandh, E., et al. (2024). Better hospital foodservice: Aspects highlighted in interviews with patients and staff. Clinical Nutrition Open Science. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667268524000019
Yadav, D., et al. (2026). A systematic review using PRISMA and SERVQUAL to examine hospital service quality, patient satisfaction, and loyalty. Asia Pacific Journal of Health Management. https://journal.achsm.org.au/index.php/achsm/article/view/3619
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Maya Arisandi, Arie Wahyudi, Gema Asiani
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
