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Organizational influences on patient perceptions of symptom management
Author(s) -
Bacon Cynthia Thornton,
Hughes Linda C.,
Mark Barbara A.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/nur.20319
Subject(s) - autonomy , perception , context (archaeology) , unit (ring theory) , medicine , nursing management , nursing , psychology , family medicine , paleontology , mathematics education , neuroscience , political science , law , biology
We tested a theoretical model of the relationships of hospital context, nursing unit structure, and patient characteristics to patients' perceptions of the extent to which nurses met their expectations for management of troubling symptoms. In our sample of 2,720 patients randomly selected from 278 nursing units in 143 hospitals, we found that patient age was positively associated with patients' perceptions of symptom management. The proportion of registered nurses as caregivers on the unit was not a significant predictor of symptom management, but better work conditions on the unit (nurses' autonomy, participation in decision‐making, and collaboration with other disciplines [relational coordination]) significantly contributed to patients' perceptions of better symptom management. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 32:321–334, 2009