A Comparative Study of the Importance and Satisfaction of Emergency Room Patient-nurse Communication Needs

Jo, Yoon Hee; Ra, Jin Suk

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to identify and compare perception of importance and satisfaction regarding communication needs among patients and nurses in emergency centers.
METHODS
This study used a cross sectional design and included 64 of patients and 37 of nurses in emergency centers of university hospitals located in Daejeon. Data were collected with a self-administered questionnaire between April 2017 and June in 2017. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics.
RESULTS
Regarding importance of communication needs, both groups of the patients and the nurses significantly recognized the importance of providing information such as performed tests and treatments and visiting time of charged physicians. Meanwhile, emotional supports and concern about social or cultural needs was recognized as less important communication needs among the patients and nurses. Regarding satisfaction of communication needs, patients were less satisfied with the needs they regarded as the most important and nurses showed moderate levels of satisfaction. This indicates that patients and nurses differ in the standards and expectations for communication performance.
CONCLUSION
It is important that emergency room nurses should recognize the current situation in which the patients' desired communication needs are not being met and they should start to focus improvement effort and new directions of emergency room care systems to meet the communication needs.