Needs during hospitalization: definitions and descriptions made by patients

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Patient Care
• Healthcare Quality

Background:

• Patient-centered care emphasizes meeting individual needs.
• Defining and fulfilling patient needs can be challenging due to differing perspectives between patients and caregivers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patients' definitions of need.
• To identify patients' needs during hospitalization.
• To understand patients' strategies for ensuring their needs are met.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving interviews with twenty hospitalized patients.
• Patients were asked to define 'need', describe their hospitalized needs, and explain how they ensured needs were met.

Main Results:

• Ten distinct groups of patient needs were identified: communication, basic care, social contact, staff behavior, empathy, caregiver competence, continuity of care, integrity, shared decision-making, and pain relief.
• Patients employed two main strategies to meet their needs: openly seeking attention or avoiding to disturb staff.
• Patient interviews highlighted the significance of acknowledging individual needs and varying capacities to self-advocate.

Conclusions:

• Recognizing and respecting the heterogeneity of patient needs is fundamental for quality healthcare.
• Healthcare providers must be attuned to patients' individual needs and their varying abilities to communicate and seek assistance.
• Tailoring care to individual patient requirements, including communication, empathy, and pain management, is essential for patient satisfaction and well-being.