Patient satisfaction with nursing care as an outcome variable: Dilemmas for nursing evaluation researchers

Evaluation is one of the most critical phases of the nursing process because it supports the basis of the usefulness and effectiveness of nursing practice. Nursing practice is patient driven and patient centered. Accordingly, patient satisfaction has been strongly advocated by nursing professionals to be an important indicator of quality of nursing care delivery. This article discusses the conceptualization and measurement of patient satisfaction with nursing care. Also, this article examines numerous dilemmas related to conceptualization and methodology that nursing evaluation researchers confront when attempting to use patient satisfaction as an outcome variable. Based on the current knowledge regarding the nature of patient satisfaction, implications for future nursing evaluation research are proposed and discussed to overcome these dilemmas in measuring patient satisfaction as an indicator of quality of nursing care. Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company.