Congressional concern over reports of adverse effects of poor or inadequate staffing on patients and nursing staff led the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to conduct a study on staffing and quality in hospitals. As indicated by the results, the IOM (1993) recommended hospital management evaluate the effects of organizational redesign and reconfiguration of nursing personnel on patient outcomes, on patient satisfaction, and on nursing personnel themselves. The purpose of this descriptive study is related to the IOM's recommendation and focuses on the relationships between nurses' job satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and patient adherence to care provider recommendations. Systems Theory provides a theoretical framework for this research. The sample of 156 nurses (90% female, mean age=47) and 180 patients (98% male, mean age=64) was recruited from a Veterans Administration Hospital. The nurses completed the Index of Work Satisfaction and the patients completed the Patient Judgments of Hospital Quality and the General and Specific Adherence Scales. To test the influence of (a) nurses' job satisfaction on patient satisfaction; (b) nurses' job satisfaction on patient adherence; (c) patient satisfaction on patient adherence; and (d) patient satisfaction as a mediator between nurses' job satisfaction and patient adherence, multiple regression analyses and structural equation modeling at the patient level will be employed. The results will be used to develop a model to predict nurse, patient, and organizational outcomes.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Describe five dimensions of patient adherence. 2. Recognize the value of measuring nurse and patient outcomes via health services research. 3. List three strategies for capturing nurse and patient outcomes within a rapidly chaging health care delivery system
Keywords: Patient Satisfaction, Adherence
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.