ASSESSMENT OF PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH NURSING CARE RENDERED AMONG PATIENTS IN FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTRE, OWO, ONDO STATE

Introduction: The previous studies in Nigeria focused on the assessment of patients’ satisfaction with the qualities of nursing care but little or no attention was paid to the assessment of patients’ satisfaction with the responsibilities that nurses perform in the hospitals. Objective of the Study: The objective of this study is to assess patient satisfaction with nursing care rendered among patients in Federal Medical Centre, Owo in Ondo State. Methodology: An institutional based cross sectional study design is employed. The data that were collected by means of questionnaires through random sampling from adultpatients who had spent at least one night on admission in the hospital were analyzed using tables, frequencies, percentages and averages. Results: The 90.8% and 88.9% of the patients in this study were satisfied with the qualities of nursing care with respect to explanations of tests, treatments and what to expect;and informing the medical teams about patients’ conditions and needs respectively, among others. The 76.6% and 88.2% of the patients in this study were dissatisfied with the qualities of nursing care in aspects of not informing patients of upcomingtests and treatment; and not communicating with patients and relatives respectively, among others. On average, 87.7% of the patients in this study were satisfied with all the responsibilities nurses perform. Conclusion: Even though satisfaction rating of nursing care by patients was very high, the hospital management can enhance this by improving those qualities of nursing care that had poor satisfaction ratings by the patients and the responsibilities nurses perform are important areas of nursing care services that should be continued and encouraged more. Word Count: 266 Keywords: Assessment, Patient Satisfaction, Nursing Care, Quality Improvement