Patients' perceptions of caring behaviors at referral hospitals in Ethiopia: A cross-sectional survey.
Abebaw Jember Ferede, Lena Wettergren, Kerstin Erlandsson and 3 others
PMID 37545766WHAT IT FOUND
Hospitalized patients in Ethiopia rated physical nursing tasks like giving medications on time as the highest indicator of caring.
They valued emotional connection and including them in care planning less. Patients who spent more time with nurses and had higher satisfaction rated caring behaviors higher.
Key findings
01Patients rated the Assurance subscale (physical and technical tasks like giving medications on time) highest, and the Connectedness subscale (emotional aspects like including patients in care planning) lowest.
02Self-reported time spent with a nurse was significantly associated with higher perceptions of caring behaviors.
03Patients who were single, aged 40-49, or lacking formal education reported lower perceptions of nurse caring behaviors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used self-reported time spent with nurses, which may be inaccurate. Data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have influenced patient responses. The cross-sectional design cannot determine cause-and-effect relationships. Participants were not homogenous regarding their medical diagnoses or surgical procedures.
Declared interests
The work was supported by the University of Gondar, which had no role in the design, data collection, analysis, or decision to publish. The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that patients in all settings value emotional support and shared decision-making as the primary indicators of nursing care. This study found that patients in this specific Ethiopian context rated physical and technical care behaviors significantly higher than expressive caring behaviors.