title: Patient characteristics in relation to perceptions of how individualized care is delivered--research into the sensitivity of the Individualized Care Scale.
abstract: The purposes of this study were to examine how hospital patients' backgrounds and clinical illness are related to their perceptions of the individualized care they receive and to test the sensitivity of the Individualized Care Scale (ICS). Cross-sectional explorative survey data were obtained using questionnaires completed by 861 (response rate = 88%) predischarge hospital patients from six hospitals in Southern Finland in 2004. Self-administered questionnaires included the ICS as well as the 15D, a measure of health-related quality of life, and gathered information about the patients' backgrounds. Based on association tests, younger age, poorer state of health, and higher level of education were associated with more critical perceptions of individualized care. Using simultaneous regression analysis and presenting the results from stronger to weaker, we found age to be the strongest predictor of patients' positive perceptions of the individualized care they received. This was followed by health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as measured by the 15D, vocational education, and type of admission. The ICS was found to be a valid tool for the measurement of individualized care in hospitals. The self-reported patient data from this survey suggest that some patient characteristics are associated with the patients' perceptions about the individualized care they receive. There is now a need to consider how these characteristics can be taken into account in nursing care delivery to increase individualized care for hospital patients. The results also support use of the ICS in the measurement of individualized care in hospitals.
authors.affiliation: University of Turku, Turku, Finland. suhonen.ritta@kolumbus.fi
authors.forename: Riitta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Suhonen
authors.forename: Maritta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Välimäki
authors.forename: Jouko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Katajisto
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Leino-Kilpi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000592:standards; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*