Comparison of the Quality of Nursing Care as Perceived by Pediatric Nurses and Mothers of Hospitalized Children

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the quality of nursing care as perceived by registered nurses and mothers of hospitalized children in South Korea. METHODS: This was a descriptive study that recruited 70 mothers of hospitalized children and 70 nurses in pediatric units in university hospitals as participants. The quality of pediatric nursing care was measured using importance and performance scores for 19 items describing various elements of nursing care. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the independent t-test. RESULTS: The hospitalized children mothers' mean importance scores were significantly higher than those of the nurses (t=2.94, p=.004). However, there were no significant differences in the mean performance scores of nurses and mothers (t=0.91, p=.363) or between nurses' and mothers' perceptions of quality of nursing care, with the exception of a significant difference for the quality of explanations (t=2.78, p=.006). The quality of explanations was assessed more positively by nurses than by mothers. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that when developing strategies to improve the quality of nursing care in pediatric wards, ensuring that pediatric nurses provide detailed explanations should be considered as a way to improve the quality of nursing care in pediatric units.