Analysis of Inpatients Food Leftover at Sanglah Hospital Bali Province

Background and purpose: Foods leftover is still very common in many hospitals in Indonesia. Minimum standardof hospitals require that foods leftover of patient is not more than 20%. The aim of this study was to determine thenumber and cost wasted due to the foods leftover of patient.Methods: The study was cross-sectional involving 68 inpatient subjects in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ward class andhospitalized up to 10 days and had regular food with a 10-day menu cycle. Data of foods leftover were obtained bythree methods: observation, medical records and interview. Foods leftover were measured by Visual Comstock methodwith the scale of 6 points. Age, sex, length of stay, ward classes, and types of patients' diseases were obtained frommedical records. Patient's perception of food appearance and taste were gained through interviews. Data wereanalyzed by independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA.Results: Average number of patients' food leftover amounted to 14.79%. Patients who left foods were mostlywomen, aged 50-64 years, hospitalized in the hospital room class 2nd and 3rd with a length of stay ? 5 days. Those whohad good perception on appearance and taste of the food tended to leave less food leftovers. The average cost of mealwasted a day was Rp. 2,939 per patient. There were significant different leftover foods according to gender, age group,length of stay, ward classes, and the patient's perception (p<0,05), whereas there were no significant different leftoverfoods according to the type of diseases and the menu cycles (p>0,05).Conclusion: Average number of patients' food leftover at Sanglah Hospital Denpasar has satisfied hospital minimumstandard (less than 20%) with an average daily cost of meal wasted was Rp. 2,939 per patient