Perception of Caring Behaviors of Patients and Oncology Nursing Staff: Comparative Study

Saturday, 28 October 2017

Gloria Mabel Carrillo Gonzalez, PhD, MSN, RN
Facultad de Enfermería, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
Narda Santamaría, MsC
Oncological Nursing department, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Bogotá, Colombia
Lilia Esperanza García Ramirez, RN
Department of oncological nursing group, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Bogotá, Colombia
Beatriz Sanchez Herrera, MSN
School of Nursing, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia

Nursing care has been defined in several ways, including human interaction, affection, interpersonal relationship, the moral mandate and therapeutic Intervention. However its reciprocal nature, the perceptions between patients and their nurses do not always coincide. Taking into account that priorization of care given by the experience of patients to received care have an evident effect in the health it is important to clarify perceptions of patients and nursing staff

Objective. This work sought to describe and compare the perception of caring behavior of patients and nursing staff in services at a reference oncological institution in Bogotá - Hospitalization, Hematology, and Emergency. Methodology. This was a quantitative and descriptive comparative study conducted with 131 patients and 78 members from the nursing staff in three oncology services. The perception of care was evaluated with Homer’s Professional Caring Behaviors Instrument. Comparison was performed through non-parametric tests. Results. Patients were on average 54 years of age, mostly females, independent, with low schooling and presented aperception of nursing care behaviors of 77.3%, with hematology averaging better (81.3%), followed by internal medicine (77.3%) and lower in emergency (73.3%). They perceive, in order, attributes of courtesy, relationship, commitment, and interaction. The nursing staff were 19% professionals, 81% aides, mostly females with over six years experience, presented perception of caring behaviors of 85.9% and similar in the three services. These results are essentials to qualify care that patients received and it involve continuum institutional improvement.

Conclusion. The characteristics of patients and of the nursing staff in the different services are similar. For patients, the perception of nursing care behaviors per total services and in the dimensions of interaction and commitment is positive and different (p < 0.05). For the nursing staff, the perception of caring behaviors is similar among services and above that of the patients in their totality and in the dimensions of courtesy and interaction.