As patients, nurses rate care satisfaction as only moderate

(HealthDay)—When nurses are patients they rate satisfaction with their care experience lower than the general public does, according to a study published online Jan. 18 in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

Rana M. Elayan, Ph.D., R.N., from Jordan University Hospital, and Muayyad M. Ahmad, Ph.D., R.N., from the University of Jordan—both in Amman, analyzed data from the Patient Satisfaction with Nursing Care Quality Questionnaire for 231 registered nurses who had either experienced hospitalization for a minimum of 24 hours for themselves or as caregivers for one of their close relatives within the last year.

The researchers found that the average score for the level of satisfaction was 2.96 out of 5, which reflects a moderate level of satisfaction with nursing care. No elements of the satisfaction scale exceeded the moderate level. The skills and competence of nurses achieved the highest mean score, with a satisfaction level of 3.20. The lowest mean score (2.68) was for the coordination of care after discharge.

"Nurses as patients and/or caregivers evaluated the nursing care during their hospitalization differently in comparison to public patients," the authors write.