Are person-centered care and therapeutic communication associated with nurse-perceived quality of nursing care? A cross-sectional study

The quality of nursing care (QoC) is central to patient health outcomes and satisfaction, yet the nurse competencies associated with it remain incompletely understood. This study examined the associations of person-centered care (PCC) and therapeutic communication (TC) with nurse-perceived unit and individual QoC. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 207 registered nurses at a tertiary hospital in Seoul, South Korea. Data were collected using structured instruments, including the Person-Centered Practice Inventory-Staff, the Global Interprofessional Therapeutic Communication Scale, and perceived unit and individual QoC. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression models with a three-category QoC outcome (poor/fair, good, and excellent), adjusted for education level, job role, and unit type, were used as the primary analysis. The proportional odds assumption was evaluated using the Brant test; where it was violated, a partial proportional odds model allowing exposure effects to differ across cutpoints was fitted. Binary logistic regression models (poor/fair vs. good/excellent) were conducted as sensitivity analyses. The proportional odds assumption was violated for perceived unit QoC ( p = .045). Higher PCC was associated with higher perceived unit QoC at both cutpoints (aOR per 1-SD increase: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.03–2.37 at the lower cutpoint; 4.96, 95% CI: 1.81–13.61 at the upper cutpoint). Higher TC was associated with higher perceived unit QoC at the lower cutpoint (aOR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.18–2.86) but not at the upper cutpoint (aOR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.20–1.24). For perceived individual QoC, where the assumption was satisfied, higher PCC was associated with higher perceived QoC (aOR: 2.49, 95% CI: 1.63–3.89), whereas TC was not (aOR: 1.12, 95% CI: 0.75–1.69). Binary sensitivity analyses showed similar directions of association between each exposure and both perceived QoC outcomes. Higher PCC was associated with higher perceived QoC at both the unit and individual levels, whereas TC was associated with unit QoC only at the lower cutpoint. These findings suggest that PCC and TC may be relevant targets for nursing education and practice development. However, longitudinal or interventional studies are needed to determine whether improvements in these competencies lead to improved QoC.