title: Congruence between parent satisfaction with nursing care of their children and nurses' perceptions of parent satisfaction.
abstract: The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the degree of congruence between parents' satisfaction with nursing care on a pediatric neurosciences unit and nurses' perceptions of parent satisfaction. Convenience samples of 20 pairs (20 parents and 20 nurses) from the neurosciences unit participated in this study. Data were collected by means of a 25-item self-administered satisfaction with nursing care instrument and socio-demographic tools. Satisfaction with nursing care is a reliable predictor of overall hospital satisfaction (Abramowitz et al., 1987; Cleary et al., 1989). Satisfied health care consumers are known to show better rates of compliance with treatment regimens and be more willing to seek health care services (Greeneich et al., 1992; McMillan, 1987; Naylor, Munro, & Brooten, 1991). The findings of this research study support the need for nurses to explicitly ask consumers (patients and families) whether or not their expectations of nursing care are being met. For unless nurses ensure that the care they provide is consistent with what consumers want, nurses risk basing nursing interventions on assumptions and erroneous perceptions and consumers are unlikely to be satisfied.
authors.affiliation: British Columbia's Children's Hospital, Vancouver.
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Thornton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations