2025/07/28 by Jenny McGreevy, Anne‐Marie Boström, Lena Nordgren +2 · 1 voice
Medicine · Health Professions · #Nutrition and Health in Aging #Dysphagia Assessment and Management #Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery
paper · doi:10.1111/jhn.70091
openalex publication_date 2025/07/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
BACKGROUND: After a stroke, patients may have complex eating difficulties that can lead to a risk for malnutrition. Individualised nutritional care could be optimised by identifying meaningful factors in the patient's relationship with food and eating. This study explored the perspectives of dietitians regarding the nutritional care of these patients and the experiences of patients in relation to food and eating in everyday life at home. METHODS: Two focus groups with five registered dietitians in each and eight individual semi-structured patient interviews were conducted. The two data sets were analysed separately with inductive qualitative analysis using a thematic analysis approach. RESULTS: In the nutritional care of these patients, the dietitians specifically highlighted: (1) Practical aspects, (2) Support and social aspects and (3) Feelings and emotions. The patient interviews revealed four themes: (1) Ability to prepare and eat food, (2) Issues affecting food enjoyment, (3) Social aspects of eating and mealtimes and (4) Emotional relationship with food. CONCLUSIONS: Patients described symptoms after a stroke impacting food enjoyment, social identity, and well-being. While dietitians reported addressing practical, social, and emotional aspects of food and eating, they lacked appropriate tools to measure these. There was a discrepancy between the focus of dietitians and that of patients; appropriate tools are needed to address these perspectives to provide high-quality patient-centred care.