Patients and Nursing Students’ Viewpoints on the Importance of Caring Behaviors in a Hospital Affiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in Iran

Abstract

Background: Effective caring depends on the agreement between patients and nurses’ care behaviors. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate patients and nursing students’ viewpoints about the importance of caring behaviors in a hospital affiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in Iran. Methods: In this descriptive and analytic study, 50 patients and 50 nurses were selected using the convenience sampling method. Data were collected by the Larson questionnaire. This self-report questionnaire was completed by the patients and students, and then the data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics in SPSS. Results: The patients considered availability, education, and communication as the most important caring behaviors in caring, while the nursing students deemed comfort and convenience, appropriate communication, and monitoring and follow-up as the most significant behaviors in caring. Nursing students and patients’ viewpoints were not in agreement in the most important and relatively most important caring behaviors (P > 0.05). However, their viewpoints concorded regarding insignificant caring behaviors (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, further attention should be focused on patient needs in clinical nursing students’ education is necessary.