Hygienic and Sanitary Conditions in the Hospital Foodservice: Relationship between Good Practices and Microbiological Quality

This study evaluated the hygienic and sanitary conditions of hospital kitchens, assessing good practices through a checklist and comparing the results to microbiological analyses. The good practices that were implemented in the hospital foodservices were evaluated through a checklist based on the current Brazilian legislation. Microbiological analyses of the air, water, utensils, surfaces and food handlers' hands were conducted. The air and water quality were adequate according to the checklist; however, the microbiological analyses of the water detected the presence of coliform bacteria in almost all tested samples. The air quality was also unsatisfactory based on the counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, mold and yeast. Even though the checklist assigned a “regular” in the hygienic classification, the utensils and surfaces had satisfactory hygienic results based on the aerobic mesophilic bacteria, mold and yeast counts. The hands of the food handlers tested positive for staphylococcus coagulase, suggesting flaws in their personal hygienic techniques, although the checklist indicated that these professionals were trained on a regular basis. The analysis of good practices in hospital meal preparation through checklists was not sufficiently sensitive for identifying microbiological risks. Practical Applications The importance of this study is in control of sanitary hygienic meals produced in hospitals. Because of the importance of proper meals in the recovery of patients, the objective of this study was to assess the hygiene and sanitation in hospital kitchens, relating the analysis of good practices through a checklist with microbiological analyses.