Health practitioner practices and their influence on nutritional intake of hospitalised patients.
Andrea P Marshall, Tahnie Takefala, Lauren T Williams and 3 others
PMID 31406886WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses were seen as mainly responsible for hospitalised patients' eating, but ward workload and unclear roles with food service left trays inaccessible or meals missed.
Families were valued helpers, used only when swallowing was considered safe.
Key findings
01Staff described nurses as having primary responsibility for supporting patients' dietary intake, while ward time and staffing constrained that work.
02Participants disagreed about who should ensure patients could access meals, including tray placement, opening packages and delivering missed or extra meals.
03Families were considered important for supporting eating, but staff said this was appropriate only when patients' swallowing was assessed as safe.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in one 28-bed acute medical unit, so the themes may not apply to other wards or hospitals. It reported perceptions from interviews, not measured dietary intake, weight, complications or mortality. Patient and family data were brief and lacked depth, so their experience of nutrition care is not fully represented. Only one physician was interviewed, so medical perspectives were limited. Participants were identified by the nursing leader, which could introduce selection bias. Nurse-to-patient ratio and ward workload are context-specific, so the time-barrier findings may not generalise.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Private Practice Trust Fund at Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that clarifying mealtime roles or involving families will improve nutritional intake. The study described perceptions in one acute medical unit and did not measure food intake or patient outcomes.