The relationship between Iranian patients’ perception of holistic care and satisfaction with nursing care

Abstract Background Holistic care is comprehensive care that emphasizes the interaction of human existential dimensions and has a significant role in accelerating the recovery process. Since nurses interact and communicate with patients more than other health care providers, the current study aimed to determine the Iranian patients’ perceptions of holistic care and overall satisfaction with nursing care. Methods It is a descriptive-correlational study done on patients admitted to the oncology wards of hospitals in southeastern Iran. The holistic caring inventory and patient satisfaction instrument were used to measure the patients’ perceptions of holistic care and their satisfaction, respectively. SPSS 19 was used to analyze the data. Results The results showed that there is a significant positive correlation between patients’ perception of holistic care and overall satisfaction with nursing care ( P  < 0.01, r  = 032), which means that the higher the patients’ perception of holistic care, the greater their overall satisfaction. Based on the regression model, type of hospital, Patient’s perception of holistic care, education, previous experience of hospitalization, age and marriage are respectively predictors of overall satisfaction with nursing care ( P  < 0.05). Conclusion The present study showed that patients’ overall satisfaction with nursing care depends on holistic nursing care, meaning that nurses should pay attention to patients’ physical, mental, emotional aspects and increase the quality of care.