Providers' and consumers' perspective of nurses' caring behaviours

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Research
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Development and testing of a scale to examine nurses' caring behaviors.
• Pilot study conducted in two community hospitals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and test a scale measuring nurses' caring behaviors.
• To compare nurses' and patients' perceptions of caring behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Pilot study with 42 nurses (providers) and 39 patients (consumers).
• Wilcoxon two-sample rank-sum test used to compare rankings of 20 caring behaviors.
• Respondents ranked behaviors based on perceived caring value.

Main Results:

• Agreement on most and least caring behaviors, but significant differences in ranking for nine items.
• Consumers valued behaviors recognizing individual/family perspectives and preparation for change.
• Providers emphasized comforting behaviors and encouraging emotional expression.

Conclusions:

• Findings highlight differing perceptions of caring behaviors between nurses and patients.
• Results can sensitize clinicians to patient perceptions of care.
• The developed instrument requires minor revisions and further testing.