title: Variations in patient satisfaction with care for breast, lung, head and neck and prostate cancers in different cancer care settings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess cancer patients' satisfaction and the extent to which it varies between cancer care centres.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a multi-site descriptive study reporting on the satisfaction of patients with breast, prostate, head and neck and lung cancers in Cyprus. The sample consisted of 272 patients randomly selected. Data were retrieved with the Patient satisfaction Scale additionally to 7 single questions reflecting 7-care dimensions namely "access to care", "explanation at first visit", "understanding of diagnosis and treatment", "first treatment: respect communication and involvement", "first treatment: pain and discomfort", "first treatment: hospital management" and "discharged co-ordination".
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants were overall satisfied by the nursing care (mean 3.5) however, dissatisfaction was expressed in relation to the 7-care dimensions (p < 0.001). Variations in satisfaction were found across the oncology settings as well as across cancer types. The variables gender, age, marital status, level of education, length of stay in the department, previous hospitalization, tumour type and treatment type had an influence on patients' perceived satisfaction (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Seemingly identical nursing care can be measurably different between cancer care centres. Based on the findings the satisfaction variations can be attributed to factors personally experienced by the patients as well as to systemic hospital-level factors. The notion of patient satisfaction is important to clinical practice as a tool to assess and plan the nursing care and managers should bear in mind that patient satisfaction is sensitive to person specific variables as well as to many extraneous variables.
authors: Research Centre for Oncology and Palliative Care, Nursing Department, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, 15th Vragadinou Streer, 3041 Limassol, Cyprus. Electronic address: andreas.charalambous@cut.ac.cy.
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Charalambous
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing* / Q000628:therapy; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration; D003535:Cyprus; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing* / Q000628:therapy; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000379:methods; D005791:Patient Care / Q000379:methods; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing* / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Cancer care; Nursing care; Oncology settings; Patient satisfaction; Survey