An Exploration of Residents' and Care Partners' Perspectives on 3D Printed Pureed Food in Long-Term Care Homes in Ontario

Abstract

Dysphagia, or swallowing difficulties, results in the inability to consume foods of regular texture and/or fluids of regular consistency. A large proportion of residents in long term-care (LTC) homes in Ontario suffer from dysphagia and as a consequence receive texture modified foods such as pureed food. Some evidence suggests that the necessity to consume pureed food could negatively impact residents’ health outcomes and quality of life which may be due to the poor sensory properties and inconsistent quality of these foods. This study explores the potential of a novel food development, namely 3D printed pureed food (3DPPF), in overcoming some of the issues associated with traditional pureed food in LTC homes. The aim is to explore how Ontario’s LTC residents and their care partners perceive the potential for 3DPPF in LTC homes. A qualitative methodology and an interpretive description strategy are used to guide the purpose, design, and analysis with the aim of formulating results that are useful and transferable to practice in LTC homes. A total of 39 participants were recruited for semi-structured interviews and discussion groups to explore the perspectives of registered dietitians (RDs), dietary team members, and residents and family members about the potential of 3DPPF in LTC homes in Ontario. An interpretive description approach with an inductive thematic analysis strategy was used to analyze the data generated from this study. Overall, participants shared that this novel development could help improve residents’ dining experience, intake, and quality of life. They described that skills, context, resources, quality, and transparency should be carefully evaluated to ensure that 3DPPF fits within the LTC context. As such, environmental and contextual considerations were thought to influence uptake; environmental restructuring would be necessary to ensure equipment availability, applicability, cost efficiency, and compliance with LTC homes’ standards and policies. All groups described the importance of quality assurance and of meeting requirements and expectations for taste, presentation, visual appeal, texture, variety, nutritional value, and safety. Collaboration of various social actors would also be needed to ensure that the product is workable and acceptable in LTC. Learning from this study could help improve the quality of pureed food in LTC and will be translated to LTC homes, RDs, and industry partners. The results will also be disseminated to inform further research in the area of 3DPPF.