PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH NURSING CARE DELIVERED IN MEDICAL UNITS IN POST- TRANSITIONAL COUNTRY: A CORRELATIONAL STUDY

MELITA PERŠOLJA¹, MIRKO MARKIČ², DRAGICA BLATNIK³, ALVISA PALESE⁴

¹Faculty of Health Sciences, Nova Gorica Unit, University of Primorska, Slovenia - ²Faculty of Management, University of Primorska, Slovenia - ³Izola General Hospital, Izola, Slovenia - ⁴Department of Medical Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy

Introduction: There is limited evidence on the relationship between patients’ satisfaction with nursing care and some vari- ables in medical units in post-transitional countries.

Materials and methods: This correlational study design was aimed at discovering correlations, if any, between the patient satisfaction with nursing care and nursing care activities. The study was performed in a Slovenian medical hospital, and variables were collected at (1) the ward level (patients cared for on a daily basis; number of hours/patients a day), (2) nursing care level, by observing nursing activities at 10-minute intervals; and (3) at the patient level, by administering the Patient Perception of Hospital Experience with Nursing tool.

Results: A total of 218 patients were involved, and their satisfaction with nursing care was high (average=4.42, Sd=0.53). On average, 80 patients were cared for per day at the unit level by ensuring around 3.6 hours of nursing care; 7,732 activities were performed by 43 nursing personnel, and only a third (n=2,842, 36.8%) of all nursing activities were performed in contact with the patient. Patient satisfaction was significantly negatively correlated with the number of patients cared for at the unit level on a daily basis (p <0.000). On the contrary, it was positively correlated (p <0.000) with the amount of care hours/patient/day, and with some direct care activities (p<0.000).

Conclusions: To ensure patient satisfaction, more nurses should deal with the increased number of patients admitted in the medical units. It is recommended to increase the amount of nursing care offered by registered nurses, given that the competences acquired at the academic level can affect the environment and the caring processes and, thereby, the patients’ satisfaction.