Assessment of the perceived quality of nursing care in internship departments: an observational study in a Spanish reality

Abstract

Nursing students represent an important resource both for the patients and for the company organization; however, the impact of their presence on the quality of care is still underestimated. To provide an objective assessment of the quality of care perceived by the patient admitted to hospital departments where internships are held for nursing students. A descriptive observational study was conducted, recruiting a convenience sample made up of patients hospitalized in clinical departments where internships for nursing students of La Fe Hospital in Valencia (ES) are located. 75 patients out of 160 hospitalized partecipated to the survey, with a response rate equal to 46.87%. Most patients believe that nurses have careless attitudes towards them (42.9%) even though there is a noticeable emotional support from nurses perceived by patients (90.1%). The degree of relationship and information perceived by patients (96%) suggests that nurses in most cases guaranteed confidentiality and the assistance time employed (70.5%) was perceived as longer than usual, defining a high opinion of patients about the treatment received. The data showed that patients were very keen to be taken into consideration from a social and human point of view and not only from a clinical point of view, so much so that they claimed to perceive a careless attitude from nurses. Despite this, however, the perceived quality of nursing care by the patient was not affected. Regarding the presence of the trainee student, being the latter in the Spanish reality totally flanked by that of the nurse, almost in symbiosis, the degree of attention perceived by the patient in relation to the assistance provided does not vary.