Patient Satisfaction with Quality of Nursing Care at Governmental Hospitals, Ha’il City, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study examines patient satisfaction with nurses’ quality of care across three tertiary hospitals in Ha’il Region, Saudi Arabia. The objectives were to establish patients’ satisfaction through one survey and rate nurses’ job performance through another, surveying unit head nurses. A quantitative research design was selected based on a 5-point Likert scale.

Assessment of the staff nurses’ job performance by unit head nurses and nurse supervisors was conducted using the Ministry of Health’s 46-item questionnaire in English and Arabic for Saudi and non-Saudi staff. Patient Satisfaction with Nursing Care Quality Questionnaire (PSNCQQ) was used to measure patient satisfaction and comprised of 22 items based on the quality of care given by staff nurses that were translated in Arabic. All the instruments were rated on a 5-point Likert scale by head nurses and patients respectively. Reliability tests were conducted on the instrument.

A total of 90 Saudi and non-Saudi head nurses and 87 Saudi patients were surveyed using convenience sampling over a two-month period in 2015. Questionnaires were administered through the Office of the Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) of the Nursing Service Department that were collected and encoded by three faculty research assistants of Medical and Surgical Department of the College of Nursing. Standard procedures for data collection and storage were employed for the protection of respondents’ information.

This study has revealed a very good level of quality of nursing care in terms of the high ratings on nurses’ job performance in the wards and patient satisfaction. Statistically significant results were found between patient satisfaction and marital status, health before admission, and size of ward. Significant results were also found between staff nurses’ job performance and the means of admission, and prior admittance.

Overall, the quality of healthcare in a tertiary setting in Ha’il region can be reflected by the performance of the three hospitals in the surveys of staff nurses and patient satisfaction. In addition, this also shows that standard of care imposed by the Ministry of Health remains to be met. However, regular surveying should be undertaken to ensure its continuity. Strategic plans for continuous quality improvements should be focused on the physical set-up of the hospitals in terms of ward size; admission procedures including patient experience during admission; training and support for nursing staff; and a family-oriented healthcare since the majority of patients are married.

Keywords: Patient Satisfaction, Quality of Nursing Care, Saudi Arabia