PATIENTS PERCEPTIONS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF CARING BEHAVIORS IN IRAN UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES AFFILIATED HOSPITALS, 2002

In order to provide an effective care plan for patients, important caring behaviors for this points of view must be identified. To determine the patients’ perceptions of the importance of caring behaviors. Design: This was a cross-sectional study. In which Caring behaviors were categorized in six subscales (accessibility, trusting relationship, anticipation, comforting, monitoring and following, explaining and facilitating) and studied through sorting cards. Sample: 95 patients were selected with consecutive sampling method. Patients perceived technical caring behaviors more important than affective ones. Male patients perceived accessibility to nurses of more importance than female patients (p=0.04). In addition patients with high school and diploma education pointed monitoring and following of more importance than those with primary education (p=0.04). As patients perceived technical caring behaviors more important than affective ones, so it is recommended that nurses pay more attention to technical behaviors. In addition more studies about affective caring behaviors is recommended