Evaluating Cook‐Chill

Abstract

Evaluation in the new cost‐and quality‐conscious health service is all the rage, though a heavy workload and an ever‐changing local situation can make the reality of conducting this kind of project infinitely more complicated than it might at first appear, and the outcome may be unexpected. Discusses a new system of food distribution which was introduced to a retracting psychiatric hospital. Staff, who were initially apprehensive, were quickly converted to the change. The survey client group, long‐term elderly psychiatric patients, all on pulverized diets, were assessed according to changes in their weight and consumption of laxatives during the evaluation period. Interesting differences emerged, with the women gaining weight and the men tending to lose it. In spite of the difficulties in conducting the evaluation, it caused staff to look closely at the reasons underlying the difference and to make essential changes to ensure that their patients were adequately nourished.

Citation

Hyde, S. and Green, S. (1993), "Evaluating Cook‐Chill", British Food Journal, Vol. 95 No. 3, pp. 12-15. https://doi.org/10.1108/00070709310037850