The relationship of patients' perceptions of holistic nurse caring to satisfaction with nursing care.

Hospitalized patients interact with nurses more often than with other health care providers. Qualitative studies have identified patients' and nurses' perceptions of nurse caring behaviors. Few studies have explored nurse caring behavior in relation to patient satisfaction. The article describes a study designed to determine whether there is a relationship between patients' perceptions of nurse caring and satisfaction with nursing care and whether selected patient variables significantly affect that relationship. In the patient population studied, after controlling for patient variables of age, gender, and level of pain, a significant positive relationship was found between patients' perceptions of nurse caring and their satisfaction with nursing care.