Perceptions and Attitudes of Patients’ Attendants Toward Nurses in Emergency Department of a Public Sector Hospital (Pakistan)

Abstract

Emergency departments (EDs) serve as the initial point of contact for urgent and critical care, where nurses perform triage, assessment, and family communication under high-pressure conditions. Attendants' perceptions play a vital role in shaping satisfaction and cooperation with nursing staff. This cross-sectional study, conducted at Liaquat University Hospital (Jamshoro/Hyderabad, Sindh), explored attendants' perceptions and attitudes toward ED nurses and identified factors influencing satisfaction. A total of 374 attendants completed a validated questionnaire (Cronbach's α = 0.80). Data were analysed using SPSS version 27 with a significance level of p < 0.05. Results revealed that overall satisfaction was high, with positive ratings most frequent for professionalism (69.6%), communication (61.5%), and responsiveness (59.9%), while gaps persisted in greetings at admission and emotional support. No significant gender differences were observed (p > 0.05), though education was associated with perceived communication (p = 0.017). Multiple regression indicated that empathy (β = 0.444, p < 0.001), professionalism (β = 0.364, p < 0.001), and communication (β = 0.115, p = 0.004) independently predicted satisfaction. The findings suggest that empathy and professionalism are the strongest determinants of satisfaction, highlighting the need for targeted training to enhance greeting practices, emotional support, and confidentiality, thereby improving attendants' experiences in emergency departments.