[Preferences, satisfaction level of patient participation in making decisions in health centre nursing clinics]

To assess patient preferences their satisfaction level and their participation in decision making with nurses.

Cross-sectional and mixed quantitative-qualitative study carried out in people attending the nursing services of 9 Health Centres in Andalusia. Patients were interviewed immediately after receiving nursing treatment using two different questionnaires for assessing their opinions, satisfaction and perception of involvement in the decisional process. A descriptive analysis using the χ(2) test (P<.05) was performed to assess the differences among close-ended and open-ended questions. Qualitative analysis: Open-ended questions were grouped into categories by a process involving three researchers independently.

A total of 235 patients took part, of whom 59% (138) preferred a collaborative role with the nurse when making decisions. In the closed questions, 96.2% (228) of the surveyed patients declared to be satisfied or very satisfied with the decision making process; nevertheless 17.4% (41) made specific suggestions for improving this process. For them the main improvement areas were related to: general communication skills or a more specific one such as: strategies for helping them make decisions, reaching common ground or giving advice.

Nurses should be aware that most patients wish to be involved in decision making and in clinical practice this participation can be improved by obtaining specific communicational skills. Surveys that include open-ended questions are more useful to assess the quality of care.