Satisfaction, Personal
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of this study is to inspect the effect of nurses wearing the surgical mask on their patients' satisfaction with the relationship. All participants will initially be treated without the mask. Then, half will be treated with the mask and the other half will be treated without the mask.
Detailed description
The use of the surgical mask has well-known benefits for both the patient and the professional regarding the control of infection contamination. However, its use is left to individual criteria, and is passed on from generation to generation of nurses through experiential, intuitive knowledge. Studies are necessary to support the use of the surgical mask. Research indicates that wearing the mask affects perception of words, thus influencing patient-nurse communication. However, it might also affect the very nurse--patient relation. For example, it can convey the idea of personal distancing, which can either be appreciated by patients as dutiful professional care by the nurse, or viewed as a limit imposed on interpersonal communication and on the relationship. This study inspects patient satisfaction about (1) interpersonal aspects and (2) professionalism in the patient-nurse relationship when the mask is used.
Interventions
DEVICEMask
All participants will initially be treated without the mask. In the next appointment, half will be treated with the mask.
PROCEDURERoutine wound treatment
All participants will initially be treated for their wounds without the mask. In the next appointment, half will again be treated for their wounds without the mask.
Sponsors
Universidade do Porto
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SEQUENTIAL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Participants are blind as to whether they are in the control or experimental groups. The investigators and outcomes assessors are blind to which patients received the intervention.
Intervention model description
All participants will initially be treated without the surgical mask. Then, half will be treated with the mask and the other half will be treated without the mask.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Patients suffering from chronic wounds * Age: 18 years or older * Know how to read and write in Portuguese * Confirmed autopsychic and allopsychic orientation * Maintain previous relation with the nurse of at least 18 months * Need at least two consecutive treatments with the nurse
Exclusion criteria
* Failing to meet the above criteria
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 30-item questionnaire assessing patient satisfaction with the nurse-patient relation (the PSQ-III) | 1 day | Self-reported patient satisfaction after one appointment with the nurse about interpersonal aspects of the patient-nurse relation (7 items), communication (5 items) and nurse's technical quality (10 items). Responses are given on a 1 to 5 Likert scale. Higher scores correspond to greater satisfaction. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sensation of time | 1 day | 1 question asked about how long patients and nurses felt that the appointment lasted |
Countries
Portugal
Outcome results
None listed