Can I request special meals for my hospital stay?

Can I request special meals for my hospital stay?

Arthur Shorr (Former COO and SVP of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center) gives expert video advice on: How will a hospital know that I need to come in for a medical procedure?; Can I request a private room for my hospital stay?; What should I bring with me for my hospital stay? and more...

You can request special meals in hospital, but please understand that your doctor will determine what kind of diet you will be served. If you're a vegetarian or if you eat only kosher food, for example, hospitals can surely meet those needs, but they must be with the approval of the order written for your dietary needs by your physician. If you have specific food allergies, it's very important that you tell your physician this. You should also tell the clerk in pre-admissions and you should also tell the nurse who assesses you when you're first admitted to your room. You should also check with your nurse that any information that you've given about food allergies is listed in your medical records. When you have food allergies, you should expect to see a brightly-colored sign put in your medical record and/or at the foot of your bed that says "Allergies" and it has them listed, so that any dietary aids that are delivering meals to you will be sensitive to that and help prevent any errors that occur.