Digital Education on Hospital Nutrition Diets: What Do Patients Want to Know?

Introduction: Therapeutic nutrition plays an imperative role during a patient’s hospital course. There is a tremendous body of literature that emphasizes the systematic delivery of information regarding hospital nutrition diets. A major component of delivering healthcare information is the principle of providing quality healthcare information, but this has not yet been investigated on hospital nutrition diets. This study aimed to evaluate the comprehension and readability of patient education materials regarding therapeutic hospital diets. Methodology: The methodology employed the use of publicly available questions regarding hospital nutrition diets and categorized them per Rothwell’s Classification of Questions. Additionally, the questions were extracted online and have an associated digital article linked to the question. These articles underwent analysis for readability scores. Results: This study’s findings reveal that most hospital diets do not meet the recommended grade-reading levels. Conclusions: This underscores the need for healthcare providers to enhance patient education regarding hospital diets. The prevalence of “Fact” questions showcases the importance of clearly explaining diets and dietary restrictions to patients.