Analysis of personalized nursing care in Andalusian public hospitals from patient's perspective

To describe patients' perceptions of personalized nursing care in public hospitals of Cádiz using validated instruments.

Observational, descriptive, prospective, cross-sectional study conducted in three public hospitals in Andalusia with participation of 426 admitted patients, selected based on pre-established criteria, during the years 2022 and 2023. The variables studied were length of stay and type of stay (medical or surgical), and individualization and personalization of care, determined using the Individualized Care Scale and the Personalized Care Index. For analyse the relationship between personalized care and the study variables, used a descriptive analysis, inferential analysis using nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test, and rank correlation with Spearman's rho using SPSS 29. Biomedical Research Ethics Committee of Cádiz approved the study.

The level of personalized nursing care provided was highest in one of the hospitals studied. The perception of interventions aimed at personalized care in personal dimension obtained the lowest scores on the individualized care scale. Patients' perception was lower in assessment their preferences than assessment other care needs. A correlation was found between the instruments used to measure personalized care. No significant differences were found in the personalization provided according to the type of unit or length of stay.

Nurses provide interventions aimed at personalizing care, and patients perceive those. Personalization is greatest in aspects of care related to the patient's clinical condition, and care is not personalized equally for all patients, raising the need to delve deeper into the causes of this inequity.