Learning Objective #1: identify the nurse's caring behaviors rated high and low by moderately to severely injured trauma patients

Learning Objective #2: describe methodological issues in research with this population

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A descriptive study of moderately to severely injured patients’ perception of caring by the nurses was conducted at a 744-bed hospital with a level 1 trauma center and a 28-bed surgical trauma intensive care unit in the Southeastern U.S. Patients who were admitted through the trauma resuscitation unit over the age of 18 years were screened for inclusion. The Trauma Nurse Practitioner, who was not a part of the research team, evaluated the patients for injury and ability to participate. Adult patients with multiple injuries, who were admitted to the hospital, were mentally alert, spoke English or Spanish, and consented to participate in the research were included. The participants were interviewed in their rooms/cubicles by the research team to complete the Caring Behaviors Inventory (Wolf, et al, 1994). The participant was able to designate a preference for English or Spanish for the interview. Interview format was selected for data collection because many of the patients were not able to complete a paper and pencil questionnaire, but were able to respond verbally to the items. Data were collected from November 2005 through July 2006 on 70 patients who met eligibility criteria and consented to participate. Mean perceptions of caring ranged from 1.3 to 6 for the total Caring Behaviors Inventory. There were three very low scores that were outliers from patients who were diverse in gender and age. The average rating for the sample was 4.8. Patients receiving care through trauma services expressed an overall positive perception of caring from the nursing staff while there was room for improvement in some areas. In spite of pain, discomfort, and all they were experiencing with regard to their care and medical management, patients wanted to talk beyond the questions on the CBI.