Nurses' Patient‐Centered Care Competencies and Care Perceptions of the Patients They Care for: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Background Patient‐centered care (PCC) aims to personalise healthcare services by focusing on patients' preferences, needs, and values in medical practices. This approach enhances both patient satisfaction and quality of life while contributing to reduced healthcare costs and addressing inequalities. Purpose This study aims to examine the competencies of nurses in patient‐centered care and the care perceptions of the patients who received care from these nurses. Methods This is a cross‐sectional and descriptive study. The data were collected through printed questionnaires administered to participants. The data were collected from 28 nurses (response rate: 73.7%) working in the inpatient units of a training and research hospital and from 199 patients they cared for between January 2024 and July 2024. Data collection tools included the “Patient‐Centered Care Competency (PCCC) Scale” and the “Patient Perception of Hospital Experience With Nursing (PPHEN) Scale.” Parametric data were analysed using the Student's t ‐test and One‐Way ANOVA, while non‐parametric data were analysed using the Mann–Whitney U test and Kruskal–Wallis test, depending on the number of groups compared. Pearson's correlation test was applied to examine the relationships between variables. Results The average total score on the PCCC Scale of nurses was 73.81 ± 7.71. The subscale scores were as follows: Respect for Perspective 25.77 ± 3.15, Patient Participation 21.40 ± 2.73, Patient Comfort 13.40 ± 1.67, and Advocacy for Patient Rights 13.22 ± 1.36. The average score for the Perception of Nursing Care of patients was 63.06 ± 11.95. A statistically significant difference was found between care perception scores according to patients' marital status, childbearing status, and education level ( p < 0.05). However, a statistically significant positive correlation was observed between patients' age and their PPHEN scores ( r = 0.220, p = 0.002), According to Pearson's correlation test, no statistically significant relationship was found between nurses' PCCC scores and PPHEN scores ( r = 0.156, p = 0.437). Conclusions It was found that the nurses' overall and subscale scores for PCCC and average scores for patients' perception of nursing care were high. Additionally, patients' marital status, having children, and educational level were identified as factors influencing their perception of care. While no statistically significant correlation was found between the PCC scores of nurses and the PPHEN scores reported by patients, an interesting finding emerged: there was a significant positive correlation between patients' age and their PPHEN scores.