ASSESSING SATISFACTION WITH THE NURSING CARE OF OLDER PATIENTS IN HOSPITAL: A DISCUSSION PAPER.

Assessing patients' views indicates to patients that we are concerned about continuous assessment and improving services in general. It also indicates that we are a conscientious professional within a genuine humanistic line of work. The paper discusses the many theoretical and methodological problems that have arisen from attempts to measure and quantify patient satisfaction. Numerical data are thought to be 'sterile' without any insight into personal meanings. On the other hand purely qualitative methods have not been widely used. This discussion paper ends with the formulation of two simple questions which can help us to explore and negotiate patients' needs and satisfaction. Two non-offensive straightforward questions are proposed as examples which could be used on a regular basis by nurses caring for older patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]