Relationship Between Perceived Nurse Caring and Patient Satisfaction in Patients in a Psychiatric Acute Care Setting

Patients admitted to psychiatric acute care settings benefit from interactions and caring relationships with hospital staff. The current study describes the association between patients' perceptions of nurse caring and their satisfaction with care at an inpatient psychiatric-mental health unit. The relationship between patients' perceptions of nurse caring and two measures of satisfaction with care were explored. A convenience sample of patients (N = 169) completed the Caring Behaviors Inventory-16 and Client Satisfaction Survey. Data were collected at the time of discharge from the hospital. The associations between perceived nurse caring and satisfaction with care and overall satisfaction with care resulted in strong, positive, statistically significant correlations. Treating patient information confidentially and giving treatments and medications on time were highly ranked, along with feeling safe during the hospitalization and satisfaction with nursing care. Additional research on patients' perception of nurse caring and satisfaction with care is needed.