Patient satisfaction is at an all-time high thanks to the ability to order meals from a menu, according to a one-year review of the Misericordia Community Hospital’s Covenant Cuisine program.

And food wastage has dropped since the first hospital made-to-order meal service program in Alberta launched at the Edmonton hospital in 2018.

“Patients are happier with the food and quality,” says Carol Lajoie, Corporate Director, Environmental Supports.

Covenant Cuisine empowers patients to make their food choices. The innovative meal program gives patients more freedom about what they can eat. Patients receive a menu customized to their dietary needs, allowing them to choose their meals.

Before the program, it wasn’t uncommon for food-laden trays to be returned to the kitchen, either because patients weren’t hungry when their meal was delivered or they didn't like some or all of the items on the tray. After Covenant Cuisine was introduced, hospital staff saw significant improvement in the amount of food being eaten—and the results continued throughout the year.

“What we are finding is that when people get the tray in front of them, they’re eating it,” says Carol. 

Letting patients choose what they want to eat offers important benefits, says Registered Dietitian Lily Pon-Mah. 

Dietary restrictions can be a challenge, says new mom Alana, who has celiac disease.

“On a gluten-free diet, my options are limited to begin with,” she says. “When I delivered my first son, I had the same meal every single day—there was only one soup that was gluten-free.”

She noticed a huge change during her hospital stay after giving birth to her second son.

“This time, there’s definitely more options, and I can choose what I want. I like that muffins are an option, I’ve had the salmon twice and it’s nice to have a choice of sandwiches,” she says.  

The meal program is supported by Food Services Ambassadors like Nicole Packard. Ambassadors explain the program to patients when they arrive on their units, take food orders and deliver meals.

“Patients are happy to see me,” says Nicole. “Oh, you’re the food lady! We like you!”

Jenina Mapalo, who recently gave birth to her first son, Frank, liked Covenant Cuisine’s flexibility.

“I can order through an Ambassador or use my phone to call the diet office when I’m ready,” says Jenina. “They are very helpful.”

Nicole works closely with the care team and diet office to ensure patient safety. When patients arrive in the hospital, their physician or dietitian identifies any dietary restrictions or concerns, such as diabetes or allergies. The system will not allow patients to order food that is not within their approved menu, and Nicole keeps a close eye on her patients.

“The nurses are often right behind me when I’m bringing in meals,” says Nicole. “They will help open containers, take the patient’s temperature and administer medications. It’s a whole team effort.”

Ambassadors also review a missed meal report at the end of every meal service to ensure all patients who are able to eat have received food. 

While the made-to-order meal program is seeing very positive results, Carol sees opportunities for future enhancements. This includes switching up the menu seasonally, opening the menu to staff and expanding Covenant Cuisine to other sites. But first, she says, is a need to fine-tune the program.

“The majority of food wastage comes from untouched trays, which tells me we have patients ordering and getting discharged or going for a test when their food arrives,” she says. “We’re working on getting new software in our call centre to help alleviate these issues.

“Giving patients control over what they want to eat is a great patient satisfier,” says Carol. 

Covenant Cuisine’s flexibility is appreciated by patients.

“It’s nice to have choice,” says Alana. “You just call and say what you want.”