Patient satisfaction with nurse practitioner care in emergency departments in Canada

To measure patient satisfaction with care delivered by nurse practitioners (NPs) in emergency departments (EDs) in Canada using a psychometrically valid survey.

All patients who received care from an NP in six participating EDs in Ontario province over a 1-week period were asked to complete a self-administered patient satisfaction survey designed specifically to assess satisfaction with NP care in EDs.

One hundred and thirteen patients completed the survey. Principal components analysis of the survey revealed three factors or subscales: Attentiveness, Comprehensive care, and Role clarity. Scores on the three subscales indicated that patients were satisfied with Attentiveness (M = 3.72, SD = 0.38) and Comprehensive care (M = 3.52, SD = 0.49) and had a moderate understanding of Role clarity (M = 2.99, SD = 0.66). Participants with higher income levels reported higher levels of satisfaction with the attentiveness they received, whereas patients with previous experience with an NP reported higher levels of satisfaction with the comprehensive care they received. There was no appreciable increase in patient satisfaction with the NP based on age, gender, education, or health status.

These findings indicate that attentiveness, comprehensive care, and role clarity are reflected by the NP in emergency healthcare settings as indicated by the patient's responses to the survey. This study supports that meeting expectations is a critical component of patient satisfaction.