Review of current practice in 'clean' diets in the UK

A survey of current practice in the provision of 'clean' diets at UK bone-marrow transplant (BMT) centres was carried out as a basis for updating the information given to patients at Sheffield Children's Hospital (SCH). 'Clean' diets are used to minimize the risk of infection from food in immuno-suppressed patients.
Information received varied greatly from sterile diets to modified ward diets. It was found difficult to collate the results for this reason. In addition, there has been little documented evidence on the use and effectiveness of these diets.
In general, there appears to be a move away from a stringent sterile diet towards a more relaxed diet, giving patients a greater choice of foods. Following this survey, the information given to BMT patients at SCH was modified to allow greater freedom of choice, whilst maintaining sensible food hygiene guidelines.