Description

Researchers have evaluated the impact of primary
nursing practice on patient satisfaction with nursing care in
many countries. However, there is a dearth of literature on
primary nursing practice in Nigeria and its effectiveness in
promoting family-centred health care. This article presents
results of a comparative evaluation of the impact of primary
nursing on patient and family satisfaction with nursing care
in Nigeria. Action research approach was adopted to assess
the need for, introduce and evaluate the impact of primary
nursing in a thirty seven-bedded ward in Eastern Nigeria. A
pre-test post-test quasi-experimental design was utilised. A
total of eighteen patients and fourteen family members
responded to the modified riser satisfaction questionnaire.

The results showed that patients in the postprimary
nursing era were significantly more satisfied with all aspects
of nursing care measured in the study (p=0.003). Family
members in the postprimary nursing group scored
significantly higher on one (Educational-relationship
subscale) out of three categories and the overall satisfaction
scale (p=0.01).

Since the vast majority of current literature on primary
nursing originates from developed countries, the application
of literature from a nursing culture, which may hold different
values from Nigeria and other developing countries, should
be carried out with caution. Implications of the study and
recommendations for further studies are made.