Patient Satisfaction with Nursing Care

Objective: To examine the level of satisfaction with specific dimensions of nursing care in an effort to provide quality improvement knowledge that will lead to understand and identify the principle drivers to patient satisfaction. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at District Headquarter Hospital Dera Ismail Khan, from July 1, 2006 to August 31, 2006. In the description of nursing care, we have used a Questionnaire regarding satisfaction which was administered by the investigator in line with Henderson's basic nursing care model.. Six dimensions of care were selected for examination. Results: Total 153 eligible patients were identified and invited for interview through questionnaire. Out of these, 122 patients agreed to participate. Overall, patients had a variable experience of nursing care; 45 % patients were satisfied with care provided, while 55 % were partially dissatisfied. Among 6 dimensions of care, 94 % liked nursing practice of keeping privacy of patients. When asked about behavior, 90 % patients were not feeling comfortable talking to nurses. Only 10 % felts nurses were excellent. 84 % patients had negative experiences as they observed nurses were not attentive to their needs, particularly at night. The same percentage also had negative perception with respect to physical care. Overall, the data showed that patients' expectations were not sufficiently met Conclusion: Nursing care is a key determinant of overall patient satisfaction during hospital admission. Patients' comments suggest that number of concerns must be addressed. The nurses need to know what factors influence patient satisfaction, if we must improve the quality of health care.