ABSTRACT
Hospital meal environment is often overlooked in terms of patient nutrition care management. Protected Mealtime (PM) is an initiative done by some countries to promote proper meal practices in the hospital, in turn curtail hospital malnutrition. The study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of registered nutritionist-dietitians (RNDs) on PM in the province of Laguna. There were nine (9) identified tertiary care hospitals in the province and out of the 24 RNDs employed, 19 agreed to be part of the study. A pretested questionnaire was then used to determine the KAP on PM of the respondents. The RNDs in the study were mostly aged 20-35 years old. Around half of the respondents (58%) knew about the concept of PM and that PM-like practices are employed as measures to improve the nutritional status of admitted patients. Most (84.21%) of the respondents believed that PM is an effective way to alleviate hospital malnutrition. However, 58% thought that it is not an efficient program. Several barriers and challenges were also identified by the respondents. PM is indeed perceived as a valuable practice to curb malnutrition in the hospital, but some hurdles should still be addressed. Whatever the practice or initiative, it is vital to acknowledge the existence of hospital malnutrition and to realize ways to diminish it.
