Feasibility of a Hospital-Based Kitchen Garden

AIM: To explore the chef's experience with a newly implemented indoor hospital-based kitchen garden designed to supplement herbs ordered for patient meals and improve staff engagement.

BACKGROUND: Hospital-based therapeutic and kitchen gardens have emerged as effective health-promoting tools in hospital healthcare environments. They promote emotional, mental, and physical well-being for patients, visitors, and staff. However, formal evaluations are limited, and studies focusing on indoor hospital kitchen gardens are noticeably absent in the literature.

METHODS: Qualitative evaluation of a hospital-based kitchen garden. Open-ended interviews were conducted approximately 6 months after garden implementation and explored key informants ( n = 6) overall experience, engagement with the garden, perceived benefits, and opportunities for improvement. Interview data was analyzed using a thematic approach.

RESULTS: The implementation of the kitchen gardens was met with overall acceptance among staff. However, the project's feasibility faced challenges related to local food service leadership, communication, and certain aspects of the garden setup. Despite these obstacles, the gardens contributed positively to the quality of meals by including fresh herbs and fostering greater staff engagement.

CONCLUSIONS: The chefs viewed the concept of the hospital-based kitchen garden favorably, noting that it closely aligned with their mission of providing nutritious meals to patients. However, consideration of the broader issues facing hospital food services may be required to seamlessly integrate this task into the kitchen staff's daily routine. Further research is warranted to investigate the effective implementation and feasibility of indoor kitchen gardens in hospitals and their impact on patient menus, food service staff, and the workforce.