Comparison of Methods for evaluating patient response to nursing care

Prenatal patients (chosen because the staff wished to know the patients attitudes toward their care and because on the health-illness continuum they were well and not dependent on staff for their daily needs) were asked to evaluate their obstetric care by means of a questionnaire and an interview. Of 191 questionnaires distributed in the obstetric clinic of a large university medical center, 79 completed forms were returned and 39 interviews were done, using the format of the questionnaires. The interviews were conducted from the clinic by a person not on the clinic staff. Overall results showed no significant difference in patient responses between interview or questionnaire. The study revealed that the patients generally were satisfied with their care but that certain areas needed improvement.