Hospital food: When nurses' and ethnic minority patients' understanding of Islamic dietary needs differ.
Lise-Merete Alpers
PMID 31660173WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses often knew only that Muslims avoid pork and halal labels, while patients varied widely; some distrusted food even when told it was halal and barely ate.
Key findings
0181% of nurses agreed or strongly agreed that ethnic minority patients are offered food according to their faith and culture, and 57% said their knowledge about Muslim dietary requirements was adequate.
02Nurses said their knowledge was mainly limited to avoiding pork and halal, and they admitted they often served halal food without asking about individual preferences.
03Several patients did not trust food even when told it was halal, and one reported not eating properly for five to six days.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in one hospital in Oslo, so it does not show whether the same pattern occurs in other hospitals. Nurses' knowledge was self-reported in a questionnaire and focus groups, not measured against patients' actual dietary needs or observed care. The questionnaire was developed for this study, and no other measurements were used to check nurses' self-assessed competency. Only 10 patients were interviewed, and they were recruited by nursing staff, so the findings are from a small, staff-selected patient group. Permission to collect data on nurses' religious backgrounds was not granted, so that possible influence on views was not measured. The paper reports perceptions and stated practices, not measured food intake, nutritional status, or patient outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that all Muslim patients want halal food or that halal labelling alone makes food acceptable. The interviews showed wide variation in beliefs and trust, and some patients avoided food even when it was described as halal.