The Relationships Between Patients’ Perceptions of Nurse Caring Behaviors, Nurses’ Perceptions of Nurse Caring Behaviors and Patient Satisfaction in the Emergency Department

Background: Approximately 100 million people seek care in Emergency Departments yearly, which can be overwhelming for many Emergency Department (ED) nurses. Thus, caring for these patients and meeting their needs is challenging for ED nurses. It is the patients’ perceptions of the first caring encounters in the ED that can have a significant impact on patient satisfaction. Objective: The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between patients’ perceptions of nurse caring behaviors, nurses’ perceptions of nurse caring behaviors, and patient satisfaction in the ED. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that examined the relationships between patients’ perceptions of nurse caring behaviors, nurses’ perceptions of nurse caring behaviors, and patient satisfaction in the ED. Eighty-six nurse/patient dyads participated in this study. Nurse participants completed the Nurse’s Background Information questionnaire and the Caring Behaviors Inventory-24 (CBI-24) (Wu, Larrabee, & Putnam, 2006). Patient participants completed the Patient Background Information questionnaire; the Caring Behaviors Inventory-24 (CBI-24) (Wu, Larrabee, & Putnam, 2006); and the Patient Satisfaction Instrument (PSI) (Hinshaw & Atwood, 1982). Results: Data collected and analyzed indicated that there was a positive relationship between patients’ perceptions of nurse caring behaviors and patient satisfaction in the Emergency Department. However, patient satisfaction was statistically significant and negatively associated (β= -.41; p Conclusions: This study indicated that patient satisfaction was significantly related to the patients’ perceptions of nurse caring behaviors in the ED. The results of this study may help ED nurses meet the need and expectations of ED patients and deliver individualized patient care