Impact of Structured Nurse Leader Rounds on Satisfaction With Nursing Care Among Patients With Cancer

The patient satisfaction rate is considered a challenge for nurse leaders, especially among patients with cancer, due to the complexity of the disease, diagnostic procedures, and treatment.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of structured nurse leader rounds (NLRs) on satisfaction with nursing care among patients with cancer. Moreover, we assessed the relationship among NLRs, patient satisfaction, and demographical variables.

A two-group posttest design was used in four adult inpatient oncology units in a specialized oncology center. A stratified random sampling technique was utilized to select 169 patients for the experimental group (80 patients) and control group (89 patients). Structured leader rounds were conducted by nurse leaders using a scripted nurse leader tool to standardize the rounds in the experimental group, while the unstructured leader round was conducted in the control group. Patient satisfaction was measured using the Patient Satisfaction with Nursing Care Quality Questionnaire.

The findings revealed that there was a significant difference in total score of patients' satisfaction between study groups (t = -9.213, p > .001). Conversely, the structured leader round has a significant impact on the patient's experience with nurse concern and caring (t = -2.054, p = .042).

Adoption of a structured NLR has a significant impact on improving patient satisfaction in an oncology setting where patients receive care from many disciplines, such as surgical, medical, radiotherapy, and radiology.

Efficient structured NLRs of nursing professionals are important for enhancing the quality of nursing care and patient satisfaction.