Emergency patients' satisfaction with humanistic caring and its associated factors in Chinese hospitals: a multi-center cross-sectional study

Purpose Humanistic caring in clinical practice is important for quality care and patient satisfaction. This study aimed to assess patient satisfaction with humanistic care for emergency patients in China and its associated factors. Methods From October 2023 to December 2023, a multi-center cross-sectional survey was conducted across 28 provinces and 87 hospitals in China, using a sampling method for inpatients in emergency department. Patient satisfaction with humanistic care was evaluated by a self-developed questionnaire with 32 items across 6 dimensions. Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to explore associated factors. Results A total of 3,003 valid questionnaires were successfully collected, with an effective rate of 86.05%. The emergency patients' total mean humanistic caring satisfaction score was 4.67 +/- 0.66. Age, medical insurance type, specialized emergency department visited, waiting times, whether had accompanied person, hospital level, and hospital type are correlated factors (P < 0.05) regarding humanistic caring satisfaction. The correlation analysis showed perceived value, and its three dimensions were moderately correlated with humanistic caring satisfaction. The multiple linear regression showed waiting time (beta = -0.219, P < 0.05), whether had accompanied person (beta = -0.192, P < 0.05), hospital level (beta = -0.137, P < 0.05), functional value (beta = 0.197, P < 0.05), and emotional value (beta = 0.418, P < 0.05) were strong predictors. Conclusion Hospitals at all levels should improve patients' perceived value, shorten waiting times, and provide caregivers with improved humanistic care in the emergency department.