Food is Medicine: A Physician Quality Improvement Project

Did you know that the average raw food budget in long-term care facilities in BC is $8.00/day per resident?

Medical Coordinator Dr. Eileen Wong has been working on a quality improvement project to improve the food experience of residents living at our Holy Family Hospital (HFH) Extended Care Unit (ECU). Dr. Wong believes the quality of life includes good food. Together with her team consisting of a dietitian, registered nurses, registered care aids, volunteers, and recreation therapists, the project identifies residents’ values, which includes good taste and variety of food.

The Holy Family Hospital ECU Cooking Show, funded by St. Paul’s Foundation, is an example of a fun way for staff to interact with residents to enhance the food experience.

Ongoing education of staff, residents and their families and caregivers is another important part of the process to help understand not only budgetary constraints but also the complex system of food production as we together aim for better food experiences. Despite these limitations, staff at HFH ECU endeavour to continuously improve the food experience for our residents.

Physician Led Quality Improvement (PLQI) is a quality improvement partnership among VCH, Providence and Specialist Services Committee (SSC) to strengthen the quality improvement capacity and culture within our physician community. Work is done collaboratively with Quality department colleagues and help physicians connect with operations and gain support from senior leadership.