Nursing Presence and its Relationship with Quality of Nursing Care from the Viewpoint of Cancer Patients Hospitalized in Shahid Ghazi Tabatabaei Teaching Hospital, Tabriz 2018

Abstract

Abstract: Background & Aim: Nursing presence is one of the basic elements in nursing care. Given the importance of the nurses' presence in the care of cancer patients, it seems that nursing presence can affect the quality of care perceived by these patients. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the nursing presence and its relationship with the quality of nursing care from the perspective of cancer patients. Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, 130 cancer patients were selected by simple random sampling from Shahid Ghazi Tabatabaee Hospital. Data was collected by the Presence of Nursing Scale and Quality of Oncology Nursing Care Scale (QONCS) between January to march 2019. Data were analyzed by SPSS (ver. 21) software. Results: From the perspective of the cancer patients, the mean score and SD of nurses' presence was 101.91±16.19 and the mean score and SD of QONCS was 132.13±21.22. Data analysis with Pearson correlation coefficient showed a significant and positive relationship between the mean score of the nursing presence and the mean score of all domains of the quality of nursing care (Being supported and confirmed, Being cared for religiously and spiritually, Sense of belonging, Being valued and Being respected) (p <0.001). Conclusion: Although, according to the cancer patients, the overall score of the nursing presence was high, improvement in some areas of the nursing presence such as meeting the spiritual needs of cancer patients seems necessary. Moreover, the results of the study showed that the nursing presence is very important in the care of cancer patients and can increase the quality of nursing care. Since cancer patients and their families are going through their worst days due to their physical and mental condition, the effective presence and support by medical staff, especially by nurses, can be effective in meeting their physical and mental needs and improving their comfort.