30 minutes ago, BeeZee said:Question, and I hope to not have to deal with it, but how does the hospital accommodate dietary preferences of the patient. For example, if I smell eggs it makes me want to vomit. I remember when my Mom had cardiac surgery they gave her a menu to choose from for her meals, but I have a feeling that isn’t the case in most facilities? I know that when my in-laws were in a nursing home the food looked atrocious. My MIL kept some snacks in her room.
I think it's highly variable, depending on the facility. What I've seen most commonly is a daily menu sheet with various choices to be checked off for the next day's meals.
Some hospitals (for example, MD Anderson in Houston and several where I've visited friends here in So Cal) have gone to a room service model. Patients have a standing menu and can call in their order any time. Patients who are on special diets get a custom menu to select from. The food is to be delivered within 30 min. At MD Anderson, the staff delivering the meals are actually dressed like restaurant waiters - black pants, white dress shirts and black bow ties. I thought the food was pretty good, although if someone is hospitalized for an extended period, I can see that boredom would set in.
Edited to add link: Room Service offers our cancer patients culinary creations and care
