NSW patients say they trust their nurses

Seven in 10 patients in NSW public hospitals rated nurses who had treated them as ‘very good’, a recent report has shown. Furthermore, 82 per cent said they always had trust and confidence in the nurses treating them.

The figures come from the Snapshot Report, based on results from the Adult Admitted Patient Survey. The experiences of almost 27,000 patients who went to a NSW public hospital in 2014 were captured in the Bureau of Health Information report.

BHI chief executive, Dr Jean-Frederic Levesque said: “It's positive when we have patients who spent a few days in hospitals, in many instances, and they can reflect positively on the nurses who treated them and of course, doctors and other professionals as well.”

Overall, NSW patients were positive about their experiences of care in the state’s public hospitals.

The report showed 63 per cent of patients said the care they received in NSW hospitals was very good, while 76 per cent of patients would speak highly of their hospital experience.

Still, Levesque said, the report showed there is room for improvement in some areas. “One in four patients (25 per cent) were not told about medication side effects to watch for and less than half (43 per cent) said that, when needed, they were always able to get assistance within a reasonable timeframe,” he explained.

Chief cancer officer and chief executive of Cancer Institute NSW, professor David Currow, said a Patient Perspectives report, co-developed by the group and focusing on the survey results of patients with cancer in NSW, also showed issues surrounding conversations about medication side effects.

"Almost one in five patients (19 per cent) with cancer were not told about medication side effects to watch for, which is a particularly important aspect of care in cancer treatment," Currow said.

There were positive results here for nurses, however, with 8 in 10 patients stating they always had trust and confidence in doctors and nurses.

"We can have confidence that we have caring, committed professionals providing care," Currow said. "Having confidence and trust in your clinician is such an important part of care. For such a high proportion of people to feel that is a great reflection on the care being provided in New South Wales today."

Get the news delivered straight to your inbox

Receive the top stories in our weekly newsletter Sign up now