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Patient safety depends on more than just medical treatment—it starts with the food you serve. The numbers tell a sobering story: 230 foodborne illness outbreaks struck long-term care settings between 1998 and 2017, claiming 54 lives and sending 532 people to hospitals. The situation hasn't improved much—33% of nursing homes received citations for violating federal food safety requirements in 2018 alone.
Here's what makes this even more troubling: 80% of patient-facing hospital personnel have never received dedicated food-handling training. While 56% of healthcare staff claimed they had food safety training, their knowledge scores averaged just 54% when tested. This training gap shows up in practice—93% of hospital kitchen staff follow correct food procedures, but only 50% of healthcare professionals do the same.