Perception of situational stress associated with hospitalization among selected Nigerian patients

The study identified those hospital experiences perceived as stressful during hospitalization by patients, which will help clinical nurses to modify the nursing care provided. A Hospital Stress Rating Scale questionnaire of 40 items tested for reliability and validity was used to elicit responses from 100 patients from the medical and surgical wards of the selected health care institutions. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The study reveals that the most frequently perceived stressful hospital experiences for all the respondents were those related to social isolation, economy, inconveniences of the physical environment and unconcerned attitudes of hospital personnel.