Food & Nutrition

Arab Journal of Food & Nutrition
30. Evaluation of Diets Served in Two Main Hospitals in Amman (1998)
Taragi Ali Shaheen\ University of Jordan
Supervisor: Dr. Mousa Numan Ahmad
Co-Supervisor: Dr. Salma Tukan
This study was conducted in 1997, to evaluate diets, by selecting three main diets
(regular, low salt and diabetic) served in two main hospitals in Amman. One is public,
Al-Basheer Hospital, and the other is private, the Islamic Hospital. The study aimed at
evaluating the actual diets with respect to adequacy of nutrients in comparing with
Food Pyramid Guide, also the study aimed at evaluating individualized therapeutic
diets (diabetic and high protein- high carbohydrate diets) in Al-Basheer hospital
offered to diabetic and burned patients respectively.
The sample included 10% of total trays served in each hospital, from each of the
three diets a day. Then contents of energy and macronutrients in each tray were
estimated for different weekdays (work and holidays) in two different seasons (autumn
and summer).
The results of the study indicated that regular and low-salt diet served in AI-
Basheer hospital were inadequate in the number of servings regarding both milk and
fruit groups (one serving or no serving offered a day). Also the study demonstrated a
great variation in the amount of calories and macronutrients, offered to patients in Al-
Basheer hospital. Almost half of the regular diet trays served in summer work days
had protein content less than 75% of the recommended, while 63% of the trays served
on work days in autumn had higher protein content 125% than recommended. On the
other hand, 63% of regular diet trays offered to patients in summer holidays were of
high-energy content 125% more than recommended. Evaluation of adequacy of the
diets served in the Islamic hospital may not be firm due to the low number of trays
evaluated. Nevertheless, it can be observed that the diets (regular, low- salt, diabetic)
offered to patients were adequate, except the restriction of fruit servings to one serving
a day, and were high in fat (35%± 0.8) contribution to the total energy served in
regular and diabetic diets, and carbohydrate contribution to the total energy served in
diabetic diet restricted to only (34% ± 4,0) in summer.
Regarding the accuracy of food services in Al-Basheer and the Islamic hospitals,
errors of trays were inspected and surveyed in different week days, in autumn and
summer seasons. The study showed that error percentage in the trays assembled in Al-
Basheer hospital was considered to be high, especially the critical errors rate at
breakfast which was 23%. In autumn the percentage of general errors, however,
reached a higher level of 47% at breakfast and 30% at supper. Error percentage in the
trays assembled in the Islamic hospital was the highest at breakfast in autumn 11% and
there was little or no errors at dinner in different seasons. It is concluded from the
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