Authors (including presenting author) :
Wong YM(1), Wong PK(1), Ng I(2), Wong E(3)
Affiliation :
(1)Administrative Services (Catering Services), Kowloon Hospital (2)Speech Therapy Department, Kowloon Hospital (3)Dietetic Department, Kowloon Hospital
Introduction :
Food intake and enjoyment are largely affected by food presentation, especially for patients who are on texture-modified diets, i.e. minced and pureed diets. The traditional pureed diet is relatively diluted and not appealing in presentation that may discourage the intake of patients. Some of the patients may even request for upgrading the diet to minced diet for which more effort on chewing and swallowing would be required, leading to inadequate nutrient intake and/or refusal of diets. Poor oral intake would then increase their susceptibility to malnutrition, resulting in higher complication risk and longer length of stay.
Objectives :
To develop recipes, taking into account the oral and/or teeth constraints of the patients, with condensed nutrient and appealing presentation so as to encourage satisfaction and therefore food intake of patients on texture-modified diets on a daily basis.
Methodology :
The Bonbon recipes incorporate a variety of ingredients in a formula that would meet the needs of the target patients with relatively soft and smooth texture. By including these nutrient-densed, well-presented texture-modified recipes in the regular menu cycle, patient's intake would be enhanced and their nutritinal status could be improved for better treatment and recovery preparation.
Result & Outcome :
The newly developed recipes would provide adequate nutrition, esp. protein (34% higher) and fibre (200% higher), in smaller portion size in comparison to the traditional diets so as to facilitate nutrient intake of patients. The taste and presentation of the diets would be attractive to draw attention of the patients for better intake and enjoyment. Postive feedback has been received from annual food tasting event, in-patient trials and KH Service Users Forum with the prticipation of clinical staff, patients and their caregivers. Successful development of the nutrient-densed, well-presented texture-modified recipes incorporating the comment from speech therapist and dietitian would meet the clinical needs of patients for menu setup and in a cost-neutral approach. High acceptance and satisfaction(>80%) of the new recipes by patients. From November 2018 to March 2019, over 80 staff from multidisciplinary teams and patients (including patients and their caregivers) of the Kowloon Hospital and Buddhist Hospital were invited for the taste trials. All (100%) of them welcome the introduction of Bonbon as one of the regular items in the hospital cycle menu. Three patients of the Kowloon Hospital who were on pureed diets were invited to try Bonbon at the mealtime and they all (100%) finished the whole portion with positive comment.
