Patients' Experience of Nutrition Therapy During Critical Illness and Recovery: A Narrative Review

During critical illness and while recovering, patients may experience varied nutrition interventions, nutrition-impacting symptoms, and challenges relating to the systems of hospital food services. All of these factors can directly impact their experiences and nutrition intake. External factors that may indirectly influence the patient experience of nutrition include family involvement, clinician knowledge and communication, and the hospital environment. The experience of patients during hospitalization may affect behavior and ability to comply with nutrition-related recommendations. However, understanding and including these experiences may help to improve clinical practice, hospital food service systems, and research design.