Perceptions of Nursing Care and Job Satisfaction at a Brac Site.

The purpose of this project was to investigate the effect of nurses work satisfaction in relation to patient satisfaction with nursing care in a base closure environment. Two different types of satisfaction surveys were administered to a convenience sample of nurses and adult nonpsychiatric inpatients at a federal tertiary care medical center scheduled for closure. Sixty-four military and civilian nurses completed the Index of Work Satisfaction survey questionnaire and seventy-nine patients completed the Patient Satisfaction Instrument. To assess the effect of nurse work satisfaction on patient satisfaction with nursing care, Pearsons Product Moment Correlation was used, and a significant correlation was found to exist, with r0.3804, p0.000. The results suggest patient satisfaction was higher on units where nurses were more satisfied. Nurses also indicated their level of agreement with statements designed to gain an understanding of the effects of base closure on their work satisfaction. Patients responded to similar statements regarding their feelings about base closure and alternatives for care. In general, both nurses and patients reported they were making the necessary adjustments to cope with the imminent closure of the medical center. Hospital closure negatively affected patient satisfaction, even though the quality of care remained the same. By monitoring and addressing issues of work satisfaction affecting nurses, administrators may be able to limit factors which contribute to patient dissatisfaction in future downsizing or closure scenarios.