Nutritional analysis of food consumed by patients in two of the medical wards in Tanta university general hospital

This work aimed to study the discrepancies between diet offered by hospital and diet required by patients according to their disease status; to study the discrepancies between diet consumed by patients from [hospital and home] and diet required by these patients and to measure patient acceptability of the food offered by the hospital. All 80 patients admitted to two medical wards [16 beds] in T.U.G.H. in the period of two months were examined and interviewed to obtain the main diagnosis and the actual food items consumed by patients including what was offered by hospital and food brought to patients from their homes and relatives. Each patient was interviewed to know their opinions regarding hospital food and reasons of hospital food refusal. Results revealed that hospital offered diets were different from modified required diets for all groups of patients. Also average amounts of food items consumed by patients [from hospital and home] were significantly different from what was required for each group according to their disease status which were considered harmful to patients. As regards patients opinions concerning hospital food, the study illustrated that most patients were not contented with quantity and quality of meals they recieved and the manner in which they were served