Discharge Education and Understanding of Care as Predictors of Patient Satisfaction Ratings for TBI Patient

This study utilized a quantitative, correlational research method to examine the relationship between traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients' perceptions of education provided by doctors and nurses and their (a) understanding of responsibility for managing care and (b) satisfaction ratings within a level I trauma center. The findings of this study contribute to the field of public service leadership specific to the health care administration specialization by informing the literature regarding TBI and patient satisfaction. The research literature has extensively examined predictors of patient treatment satisfaction, in general. Fewer studies have considered this issue within TBI populations. Secondary data were extracted from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between the variables. The findings from this study indicated there was a statistically significant positive correlation between patients' perceptions of education provided by nurses and their understanding of responsibility for managing care. In addition, there were statistically significant positive correlations between patients' perceptions of education provided by doctors and understanding of responsibility for managing care with patients' hospital satisfaction ratings. These findings may serve to promote an understanding of patients' perceptions related to provider communication and education and may highlight the importance of these factors in considering how to maximize patients' satisfaction ratings.