Patient perception towards males in nursing profession in India: A single center, cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Background and aimOne of the major changes that have occurred in the nursing profession today is the increasing need for men in nursing, which was felt more during recent pandemic. Further, it would be beneficial to have a positive view of male nurses in society to encourage the growth of nursing. This study was carried out to determine the perceptions of patients towards men in nursing. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was done in month of February 2020 on randomlyselected 400 participants at a tertiary care hospital in Uttarakhand. Data were collected using the five-point Likert scale (AMnQ), which is a standardized 5-point Likert scale that assesses patients' attitudes towards nurses. SPSS V 26 was used to analyze the data using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. ResultsMean age of the patients was 43.85 ± 15.85 years and 61% of them were males. Majority of participants (67.5%) expressed overall neutral perceptiontowards male nurses. Furthermore, significant number of participants (58.7%) were disagree for the feminine image of nursing profession and majority of participants (89.5%) had no gender preference of nurses caring them. Education level of the patients was found to be significant predictor of patients’ perception about male nurses (OR = 1.603, 95% CI = 1.203 – 2.136, p = 0.001). ConclusionThis study can be used as a starting point to have a conversation of gender bias and help policymakers rethink about 'only female' rules in this discipline. To eliminate gender bias in nursing, it is important to raise public awareness about the role of male nurses.