Effects of nursing staff employment on patient satisfaction, job satisfaction and hospital infections

Background and Aim:

The most important prerequisite for a high quality health care is employment of qualified nurses in sufficient number. The aim of this study was to investigate effects of nursing employment rates on patient satisfaction, job satisfaction among nurses and hospital infections.

 Methods:

This is a descriptive study and included all nurses working at Atatürk University Hospital (n=247) and 514 patients treated at the hospital. The study was conducted between September - December 2007. Data about nursing employment rates were collected with a questionnaire. Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, composed of 19 questions. Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire, composed of 34 questions. To determine hospital infection rates, a nurse working in the infection unit visited all clinics every day and recorded the patients who developed nosocomial infections. Obtained data were analysed with SPSS 11,5.

 

 Results:

The mean age of the nurses was 28,6 years. Thirty-nine percent of the nurses were university graduates.

The nurses who had a postgraduate degree and who were not satisfied with their income and the physical conditions of the hospital were found to have significantly lower rates of job satisfaction (p<0,05). The scores for job satisfaction were not affected by position, working schedules, the number of patients offered care daily and the number of nurses working in units (p>0,05).Of all patients, 51% were female and 42,6% were primary school graduates and 69,5% had been hospitalized before.
Patient satisfaction was not dependent on gender, education, income or previous hospitalizations (p>0,05).
Nursing employment rates did not have an effect on hospital infections (p>0,05).

 Conclusion:
In conclusion, job satisfaction among nurses was affected by education, income and physical conditions of the hospital. However, patient satisfaction was not influenced by any factors tested in this study and nursing employment rates did not contribute to prevention of hospital infections.