Flexible, adaptable, and supportive systems: qualitative description of factors underpinning an ideal mealtime delivery in rehabilitation care settings
Creators: name: Pashley, Alice
name: Young, Adrienne
name: Doig, Emmah
name: Moore, Janette
name: Wright, Olivia RL
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Ecology
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: Science Policy
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Information Systems not elsewhere classified
subject: Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences
subject: Computational Biology

description: Whilst evidence about mealtime delivery exists in acute and aged care settings, there is limited understanding of patient and staff preferences for rehabilitation settings. This study aimed to explore patient and staff perceptions about how mealtimes should be delivered to support rehabilitation goals of care. Method: This qualitative descriptive study involved semi-structured interviews with nine patients (previous or current admission) and ten staff from a single metropolitan rehabilitation service. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Two key categories were identified, including (1) the role of mealtimes in patients’ rehabilitation, and (2) factors underpinning ideal mealtime delivery for rehabilitation. Mealtimes help to facilitate recovery, support socialisation, rest, and routine, but were also a time of frustration and challenge for patients. The ideal mealtime was described as creating a therapeutic experience, integrating systems and processes that support rehabilitation, systems that offer flexibility and choice, enhancing mealtime care through interdisciplinary collaboration, and using supportive mealtime care practices. The ideal mealtime in rehabilitation should be underpinned by principles of flexibility, adaptability, and supportive care. Incorporating rehabilitation goals of care can be enabled through mealtime systems that encourage functional therapy activity, optimal nutrition, and time for rest and social engagement. Mealtimes should integrate systems and processes that support rehabilitation principles, such as mealtime-related goal setting, supporting functional therapeutic activities, and enabling accessibility to food and mealtime supports.Patients should have multiple options for support, including practical guidance, adaptive equipment to support independence, setup and eating assistance, and involvement of families in the mealtime.Supporting all staff to be involved in mealtimes can be enabled by having small and defined roles communicated to ensure ownership of mealtimes is not lost. Mealtimes should integrate systems and processes that support rehabilitation principles, such as mealtime-related goal setting, supporting functional therapeutic activities, and enabling accessibility to food and mealtime supports. Patients should have multiple options for support, including practical guidance, adaptive equipment to support independence, setup and eating assistance, and involvement of families in the mealtime. Supporting all staff to be involved in mealtimes can be enabled by having small and defined roles communicated to ensure ownership of mealtimes is not lost.