title: A descriptive study of patient satisfaction and the structural factors of Norwegian intensive care nursing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to describe patient satisfaction with nursing care in three different Norwegian Coronary Intensive Care Units and compare the results with other structural factors such as nursing competence, skill-mix, clinical experience, nurse to patient ratio and number of beds.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive and comparative design was employed and 150 patients at three Coronary Intensive Care Units were included. Patient satisfaction data was collected using the Intensive Nursing Care Quality Instrument (59 items). The data collected was comprised of two parts: a questionnaire and information on the structural factors of the organisational structure. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients expressed overall satisfaction with the nursing care. No clear association was found between patient satisfaction and nursing competence, skill-mix, clinical experience, nurse to patient ratio and number of beds. When comparing results between units, significant differences were seen for 17 out of 46 questions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results provide insight into how critical care staffing and skill-mix affect patient satisfaction and guide future nursing research in this subject area.
authors: Department of Nursing Care, Lovisenberg Deaconal University College, Norway. gudrun.johannessen@ldh.no
authors: Gudrun
authors: G
authors: Johannessen
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Eikeland
authors: Dag-Gunnar
authors: DG
authors: Stubberud
authors: Lisbeth
authors: L
authors: Fagerstöm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003325:Coronary Care Units; D005260:Female; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D009732:Nursing Care; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000458:organization & administration; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D000078329:Workforce