Levels of Adult Patients’ Satisfaction with Nursing Care in Selected Public Hospitals in Ethiopia

Objective: To assess level of adult patients’ satisfaction and associated factors in nursing care provided in selected public hospitals in Ethiopia. Methods: A cross sectional institution based study was conducted on 582 randomly selected patients admitted for at least two nights in three wards of selected public hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia. Patients were interviewed face to face using the adapted Newcastle Satisfaction with Nursing Scales (NSNS) at the time of their discharge. Data was analyzed using SPSS V 16. Result: More than half of the respondents, 307(52.75%), were satisfied with the nursing care they received. The patient satisfaction was found to be 62.71%, 55.67%, 44.85% and 55.15% for nursing characteristics, the caring activities, the amount of information given and the entire caring environment respectively. Previous history of admission, patients’ income level, and type of admission rooms have been found to significantly affect overall satisfaction of patients. Conclusion: The overall level of adult patients’ satisfaction was moderate. The hospitals should consider mechanisms to improve the nurses’ communication skills and interpersonal relationships beyond training on direct patient care.