To help enhance a patient’s appetite, make sure he or she has good oral hygiene before meals. Also, remove any unpleasant smells or sights and arrange the food in an attractive manner. If the patient has a poor appetite or seems overwhelmed with the amount of food:

• Offer small amounts of food frequently
• Place small servings of food on small plates
• Cut sandwiches into smaller pieces
• Keep ready-to-eat snack foods such as pretzels, nuts, crackers, cookies, dried nuts, granola bars, and rice cakes handy
• Offer portable snacks such as cheese and crackers, muffins, ice cream, peanut butter, fruit, small boxes of raisins, and pudding, as these may be more appealing than a meal

Source: Stressed Out About Difficult Patients, HCPro Inc., 2007. For more information on our series of Stressed Out books, visit www.stressedoutnurses.com