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An investigation into the quality of breakfast served to hospitalized patients at the

Mackenzie hospital complex from October to December 2022.

Tequan Holder

Christianburg Wismar Secondary School

Food, Nutrition, And Health

Ms. Lois Moseley

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Table of Content

s
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT...........................................................................................................................4
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................5
TITLE..........................................................................................................................................................6
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM....................................................................................................................7
BACKGROUND.........................................................................................................................................8
LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................................................................9
RESEARCH QUESTIONS.......................................................................................................................10
DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT....................................................................................................11
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would first like to give thanks to Almighty God, for supplying me with life and good health to

be able to complete this assessment. I would also like to express my gratitude to my subject

teacher Ms. Lois Moseley and Ms. Odessa James for guidance in completing this task.
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INTRODUCTION

An investigation into the quality of breakfast served to hospitalized patients at the

Mackenzie hospital complex from October to December 2022.

Breakfast is often called “the most important meal of the day”, and for good reason. Breakfast

foods are rich in key nutrients such as folate, calcium, iron vitamin B, and fibre. Breakfast

supplies a lot of your day’s total nutrient intake In fact, patients who eat a healthy breakfast are

more likely to meet their recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals. Food provided to

patients needs to be appealing, and available at the proper times. While the ma
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TITLE

An investigation into the quality of breakfast served to hospitalized patients at the Mackenzie

Hospital Complex from October to December 2022.

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STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The researcher would have observed that the patients of the Mackenzie Hospital Complex are not
served foods that would boost their nutritional status, and address particular health issues
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BACKGROUND

The researcher wishes to determine the quality of breakfast served to hospitalized persons. The

investigator will be using patients at the Mackenzie Hospital Complex to determine if the quality

of breakfast served will suit the conditions of the patient and boost their nutritional status.

The researcher would have seen the quality of breakfast served to patients and was curious to

know how it contributes to their nutritional status and if it addresses their particular condition.

Through observations made, the researcher has decided to administer an investigation to aid in

determining if the quality of breakfast being served to hospitalized persons will boost their

nutritional status and improve their current health condition.

The Mackenzie Hospital Complex was opened on May 23, 1925, by the Governor of British

Guiana, His Excellency, Sir Graeme Thomas K.C.B. The Mackenzie Hospital Complex is found

on Riverside Drive, Linden, Guyana. It is open 24 hours a day. It consists of patients who are

hospitalized with various health conditions.

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LITERATURE REVIEW

Eating well is fundamentally important for every individual’s health and well-being. In a hospital
setting appealing food and good nutrition is vitally important.
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RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What type of breakfast is served to patients?

2. Is the breakfast tailored to suit the condition of every patient?

3. Does a specialist aid in planning these meals?

4. Why must patients consume healthy foods?

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DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT

Dear Respondents,

This is a survey being conducted in Central Amelia’s Ward to investigate

the quality of breakfast served to hospitalized patients at the Mackenzie Hospital Complex from

October to December 2022. This study is being conducted for Caribbean Advanced Proficiency

Examinations (CAPE) Food, Nutrition, and Health Internal Assessment (IA). You are

recommended to answer the following questions honestly.

Remember this is a voluntary exercise and there will be no reaction if you refuse to participate.

Yours Respectfully,

Tequan Holder
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QUESTIONNAIRE

FOCUS OF STUDY: QUALITY OF HOSPITAL BREAKFAST

1. What is your gender?

Male Female

2. To which age group do you belong?

18-29 yrs. 30-39 yrs. 40-49 yrs. 50-60 yrs.

3. How long have you been hospitalized?

Less than 1 week 1-2 weeks 2-4 weeks 1-2 months or more

4. Is breakfast served daily at the hospital?

Yes No

5. What type of breakfast is served to patients?

Light Medium Heavy

6. What are the major food items served as part of your breakfast every day?

staples e.g. bread, rice, biscuits porridge Fruits vegetables

proteins e.g. eggs, cheese, sausages, chicken

tea, and Coffee

7. Do you find the breakfast attractive?

Yes No
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8. Is your breakfast served in measured portions?

Yes No

9. Is the breakfast served at the correct temperature?

Yes No

10. Is the breakfast accompanied by your prescribed medication for the day?

Yes No

11. Is the breakfast served of good quality?

Yes No

12. Which of the following cooking methods are mostly used to prepare your breakfast?

Frying

Baking

Steaming

Stewing

Grilling

13. Do the nurses observe your daily meal intake and offer guidance?

Yes No
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14. Did a specialist discuss your specific nutritional need with you to help guide your

recovery?

Yes No

15. Is the breakfast served tailored to suit the recovery need of every patient?

Yes No

16. Why must patients consume a healthy breakfast?

To promote heart health To improve gut health

Increase energy levels Balance blood sugar levels

17. As compared to your normal breakfast intake, how much would you rate your breakfast

intake for most of your hospital stay?

Unchanged More than usual Less than usual Unacceptable

18. In general, how satisfied are you with the quality of breakfast served by the hospital?

Extremely satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied Extremely Dissatisfied

19. Given a choice, would you rather eat breakfast at the hospital or at home?

Home Hospital
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20. Do you think the government can supply better quality breakfast to patients?

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PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

25

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Number of patient responses

15

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0
Home Hospital

Places prefered to consume breakfast

FIGURE 1: BAR GRAPH SHOWING THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS WHO PREFER TO

CONSUME THEIR BREAKFAST AT THE HOSPITAL OR HOME.

The bar graph above illustrates the number of patients who prefer to consume their breakfast at

the hospital or home. Twenty-three (23) patients would have indicated that they prefer to

consume their breakfast at home. Whereas seven (7) patients indicated that they prefer to

consume their breakfast at the hospital.

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FIGURE 2: FUNNEL CHART SHOWING THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSUMING A

HEALTHY BREAKFAST.

The funnel chart above shows the patient’s response to consuming a healthy breakfast. 17

patients would have responded that consuming a healthy breakfast increases energy

levels, 7 said it promotes heart health,4 said it balances blood sugar levels, and the final 2

responded that it improves gut health.

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Patients response

yes

No

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Number of patient responses

FIGURE 3: BAR GRAPH SHOWING IF THE PATIENTS PRESCRIBED

MEDICATION IS ACCOMPANIED WITH THEIR BREAKFAST

The graph above shows the patient’s responses if their prescribed medication is

accompanied by their breakfast. 30 patients said no, while 0 patients said yes to this

question.
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Sales

staples e.g. bread, rice, biscuits porridge

Fruits vegetables
proteins e.g. eggs, cheese, sausages, chicken tea, and Coffee

FIGURE 4: PIE CHART SHOWING THE MAJOR FOOD ITEM SERVED AS PART

OF THE PATIENT’S BREAKFAST EVERYDAY

FIGURE 5: GRAPH SHOWING WHICH COOKING METHODS ARE MOSTLY

USED TO PREPARE THE PATIENT’S BREAKFAST

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DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

In investigating the quality of breakfast served to hospitalized patients at the Mackenzie Hospital

Complex, the patient’s responses were recorded and used to construct various graphs. In this

section of this project, the patient’s responses will be further discussed.

It was revealed that patient’s breakfast is not accompanied with their prescribed medication,

figure 3 demonstrates that all patients said no when asked if their medication is served at the

same time when breakfast is being served. This is so because the scheduled time for patients to

take their medication is 6:00 AM and breakfast is later served at about 7:00 or 8:00 AM

Furthermore, it was revealed that the main reason for consuming a healthy breakfast is to

increase energy levels, as said by seventeen (17) patients. It was also said by two (2) patients that

it improves gut health, five (5) said it improves heart health, and four (4) said it balances blood

sugar levels. All of this information can be viewed on figure 2.