The relationship between food service satisfaction and socio-economic status in hospitals

Food is not only a physiological requirement, but also at the center of social interactions such as sadness, joy, pleasure, unity and togetherness. For these reasons, being satisfied with the food is important for people, especially the ones who receive treatment in hospitals, to heal both biologically and psychologically. Satisfying the patients while providing them with a quality, safe, adequate and balanced nutrition opportunity is one of the goals and success indicators of hospital administration. In addition, the satisfaction of the patients in food services comprises an important part of the quality in health care. In our country, monthly patient satisfaction surveys and scientific researches conducted in both private and public hospitals indicate that patients' satisfaction scores for food services are low. In our study, satisfaction levels of patients consisting of 21 titles were measured according to their expectations regarding food presentation. The socioeconomic status of the patients who participated in the survey were evaluated in accordance with the SES scale and associated with satisfaction. A total of 165 people, 67 women and 98 men, participated in the study. There was no statistically significant difference found between the satisfaction levels of the low and lower-middle socioeconomic status groups regarding the factors of "Environmental Factors" and "Hunger Level". In the "Food Quality", "Food Service Quality" and "Service Personnel Satisfaction" factors, the satisfaction levels of the lower socio-economic status group were compared with lower-middle and upper-middle socioeconomic status groups. It was determined that the level of satisfaction decreases as the status level increases. KeyWords: Patient Satisfaction, Socio-Economic Status, Nutrition Services, Quality