Functions, challenges and opportunities of the nutritionist in hospital food services in Mexico

Abstract

The professional practice of nutritionists in hospital food services is focused on a population that requires specialized care, which implies that over time it has acquired particular characteristics that differentiate it from other food services, so this research is aimed at analyzing the current work context of nutritionists, according to the type of hospital in which they are assigned, according to the perception of each of the respondents. Likewise, impressions were collected on the actions that should be contemplated in the current professional practice, to achieve a convincing and sustained progress both in the immediate future, as well as in the subsequent decades. Objective: Describe the activities that nutritionists perform in food services in hospitals in Mexico, as well as the main difficulties they have faced in the performance of their duties. Methodology: Cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, applying an instrument of own elaboration, composed of 7 reagents, using for the collection of data and the analysis of the information, the statistical programs Excel and SPSS version.22, for the correlations Pearson's chi square tests were performed. Results: 67% of respondents see their main job as being in food services. Regarding the strengths of hiring nutritionists in a food service, the one mentioned in all types of hospitals was quality control, followed by improved patient care. Conclusion: The main strength of hiring nutrition professionals in hospital food services is quality control, followed by improved patient care.