Nurse-perceived time pressure and patient-perceived care quality.

AIMS: To examine how time pressure among nurses influences patient-perceived care quality.
BACKGROUND: Although nurses worldwide face increased time pressure in the workplace, no studies have addressed how workplace time pressure influences patient-perceived care quality. Patient-perceived care quality predicts patient intent to revisit the hospital if care is required, warranting investigation as to whether nurse-perceived time pressure decreases patient-perceived care quality.
METHODS: A cross-sectional design and survey method were adopted. The data analysis was based on 229 nurse-patient sets drawn from a medical centre in northern Taiwan. Each set comprised one nurse and three patients.
RESULTS: The study results demonstrate that time pressure among nurses reduces patient-perceived reliability/accountability, responsiveness and assurance. The test results, however, did not indicate a significant negative association between time pressure and patient-perceived empathy and tangibles.
CONCLUSION: Time pressure among nurses may reduce patient perception of care quality in terms of reliability/accountability, responsiveness and assurance. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: To enhance patient perception of care quality, nursing managers need to devise means to reduce nurse-perceived time pressure.