External Factors Influencing the Motivation and Performance of Staff in Their Nutritional Work With Adults With Intellectual Disabilities

BackgroundStaff working in municipal care homes with adults with intellectual disabilities impact their diet significantly.AimTo explore how external factors influence staff's motivation and performance of nutritional work with these residents.MethodSemi-structured qualitative interviews with 11 staff using systematic text condensation for analysis.ResultsFive main themes were revealed: Need for the implementation of the official nutritional guidelines, lack of nutritional skills and knowledge, prioritisation of nutritional work tasks, staff's ethical dilemmas with the different legislations and management anchoring and collaboration.ConclusionsImplementing systematic nutritional routines and clarifying nutritional work in practice were emphasised to promote continuity and better cooperation among the staff. This, and the need for increased nutritional competence in the municipality organisation, adequate framework conditions for nutritional work and practical and pedagogical measures for nutritional tasks, were crucial factors for staff's motivation, performance, consistency and equality in nutritional practice.