Oncology patients’ perceptions of “the good nurse”: a descriptive study in Flanders, Belgium

Abstract

The image of "the good nurse" is mainly studied from the perspective of nurses, which often does not match the image held by patients. Therefore, a descriptive study was conducted to examine oncology patients' perceptions of "the good nurse" and the influence of patient- and context-related variables. A cross-sectional, comparative, descriptive design was used. The sample comprised 557 oncology patients at one of six Flemish hospitals, where they were treated in an oncology day-care unit, oncology hospital ward, or palliative care unit. Data were collected using the Flemish Care-Q instrument. Factor analysis summarised the most important characteristics of "the good nurse". We reassessed the reliability and construct validity of the Flemish Care-Q and examined the influence of patient- and context-related variables on patient perceptions. Using factor analysis, we grouped the different items of the Flemish Care-Q according to three characteristics: "the good nurse" (I) has a supportive and communicative attitude towards patient and family, (II) is competent and employs a professional attitude, and (III) demonstrates personal involvement towards patient and family. Median factor scores of Factors I, II, and III, respectively, were 8.00, 9.00, and 8.00 (varying from 1, not important, to 10, very important). In order of importance, Factors II, I, and III were identified as valuable characteristics of "the good nurse". Gender, care setting, and province were influential variables. As perceived by oncology patients, "the good nurse" has a broad range of qualities, of which competence and professionalism are the most valuable.

Quality of Nursing Care: Perception of Parents of Newborns Hospitalized in Neonatal Units

“…(17) This is an aspect of interest, given that other experiences were not found of the application of this instrument in the context of neonatal care. Studies with other populations in which the same instrument was applied (11)(12)(13)(14)(15) obtained Cronbach's alpha >0.7, but are not comparable with that obtained in this study applied to the parents of the neonates and not directly to the patient object of the care.…”

“…The Caring Assessment Instrument (CARE-Q) was created by Larson in 1984 to determine the aspects patients consider relevant in their interaction with the nursing actions that are important for them. (10) This instrument has been used in diverse care contexts nationally and internationally, (11)(12)(13)(14) being -according to the findings -a reliable instrument to know of the quality of nursing care. In Colombia, said instrument was validated in 2008, (11) where it obtained a Cronbach's alpha of 0.88, after extracting four items from initial 50 in the original scale.…”

Satisfaction with life of oncology nurses in Poland

“…In addition, they exhibit patience, empathy, experience and knowledge more often than younger nurses (Van der Elst et al. ).…”

“…This could result from the fact that older nurses are able to adjust their expectations to the actual possibilities. In addition, they exhibit patience, empathy, experience and knowledge more often than younger nurses (Van der Elst et al 2013).…”

Nursing competencies across different levels of palliative care provision: A systematic integrative review with thematic synthesis

“…The included articles presented research that had been performed in the United States (n = 8), 39,45,[50][51][52][53][54][55] the United Kingdom (n = 3), 41,42,47 Sweden (n = 2), 37,43 Belgium (n = 1), 40 Canada (n = 1), 36 China (n = 1), 44 Brazil (n = 1), 48 Netherlands (n = 1), 46 Colombia (n = 1), 56 and two in multiple countries (n = 2) 38,49 between 2001 and 2018. A quantitative design was applied in seven of these studies, 38,40,49,[50][51][52]54 while nine studies employed a qualitative design. 36,37,41,42,44,46,47,53,55 Finally, two studies used the Delphi design 43,48 while three studies had a mixed-methods design.…”