Assessing the Quality of the Food Offered in Quebec Healthcare Facilities: Tool's Content Development and Face Validity.

Purpose: This study aimed (i) to develop the content of a tool assessing the quality of the food offered to inpatients/residents in healthcare facilities (short- and long-term care) of the province of Quebec and (ii) to evaluate its face validity.

Methods

The tool's initial content was developed based on available literature and consultations with foodservice managers and registered dietitians. Face validity was evaluated using a Delphi method involving potential users-including foodservice managers and government partners-and experts in the field and consisting of two rounds, mainly focusing on the clarity and the relevance of questions.

Results

This study led to the development of a 72-question tool divided into two parts. Part 1 addresses the characteristics of the healthcare facility and the menu (37 questions), and Part 2 measures the inpatient/resident's perception of the food offered with distinctive versions for short- (21 questions) and long-term care facilities (35 questions).

Conclusions

The development of a tool adapted to the Quebec context will enable a standardized evaluation of the quality of the food offered to inpatients/residents in healthcare facilities at a provincial level. This tool fulfills a gap identified in the literature and on the field during previous phases of the project.