The food at the Alberta Children’s Hospital has been revamped in an effort to give patients more choice and increased flexibility. Michelle Nelson, director of patient food services with Alberta Health Services, says inpatients can now use an app to select what they would like to order from a hotel-style menu with pictures. They also have a greater variety of food options, including smoothies, child-friendly entrées and options for a range of dietary and cultural needs. The change, Nelson says, introduced menu items like salmon, butter chicken with naan and a bento box with turkey slices, crackers, vegetables and dip. “Though we do still have chicken fingers, pizza and a hamburger,” she added. Before the changes, which went into place on Oct. 6, all inpatients had to chose from a static menu. “There would be two choices for each meal, and that was it,” Nelson said. Nelson says dining ambassadors are also available to visit patients at their bedside to help with meal selection. “Appetites change over the course of a hospital stay, so if there is not a large appetite and they would just like a smoothie, and that’s going to be good for breakfast, we can provide that.” In contrast, if a patient is really hungry, they can order up something like an entire chicken dinner. “They can select anything off of the breakfast menu — and then the lunch and supper menu — they can select any item that they want,” Nelson said. “So, if the child is a real fan of chicken fingers and that’s what they want every day, they have that ability to order it every day.” The new menu app won’t show kids items they can’t order due to religious or dietary restrictions, so they won’t be tempted by something they can’t have. The menu was developed in collaboration with dietitians, patients and families. “The patients have been instrumental in telling us what they would like to have,” Nelson said. “For example, we expanded our smoothie selection.” Nelson says the old menu had just two smoothy flavours — chocolate and strawberry — but now they have a chocolate, peanut butter and banana smoothie, a blueberry vanilla smoothie, and more flavours. “A hospital stay is a very stressful time, and when we put that (food) choice in the hands of patients and families, we can help create a positive mealtime environment and a more positive hospital stay,” Nelson said. A multi-month pilot of the new menu found meal waste decreased from 44 per cent to 32 per cent, and patient satisfaction increased to 90 per cent. “I’m hoping that we can change the perception of hospital food one plate at a time,” Nelson said. “We’re making delicious food and hoping to meet the needs of what the patients are looking for.” The new menu and room service model were supported in part through funding from the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, which helped the hospital purchase the equipment required to create a more flexible and child-friendly mealtime experience.
