Assessment of nurses' respect for patient privacy by patients and nurses: A comparative study

To determine whether nurses respect or violate patient privacy by comparing nurses' and patients' opinions.

Although nurses want to respect patient privacy, they can sometimes violate patient privacy or not pay enough attention.

This comparative and cross-sectional study was conducted with 357 patients and 305 nurses in 12 public hospitals in Trabzon, Turkey. Data were collected with an information form and the Patient Privacy Scale. Reporting is consistent with the STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies.

The total mean score of the patient privacy scale was 4.6 ± 0.39 for nurses and 4.5 ± 0.41 for patients, and no significant difference was found between their scores (U = 52999.0; p = .554). Further, the nurses (U = 14358.0; p = .000) and the patients (U = 13272.5; p = .006) in the public hospitals had statistically significantly higher overall privacy scores than those in the training and research hospitals. The overall privacy scale scores were higher and more statistically significant in the patients hospitalised in surgical clinics than those hospitalised in clinics for internal diseases (U = 8514.0; p = .005) and in single compared to married patients (U = 12364.5; p = .034).

Nurses respected patient privacy highly according to both nurses and patients, and there was no significant difference between their views. However, nurses working in training and research hospitals and internal diseases clinics need to improve their approaches to patient privacy.

The results of this study could be used to reduce patient privacy vulnerabilities in complex hospitals and clinics such as training and research hospitals and to improve institutional policies and activities regarding patient privacy. By comparing the results of patients and nurses, the study provided more consistent and accurate data about patient privacy.