Provision of individualised care improves hospital patient outcomes: An explanatory model using LISREL

Background Previous studies propose the efficacy of individualised care for hospital patients. Individualised care and proposed correlates have not been tested by means of a single multivariate analyses simultaneously. Objectives The aim of this study is to examine predicted relationships between individualised care and patient satisfaction, patient autonomy and health-related quality of life. Design A cross-sectional correlational survey. Settings This study was carried out in six acute hospitals in Southern Finland. Participants A sample of 861 (response rate 84%) pre-discharged hospitalised adult patients were recruited from surgical, gynaecological and internal medicine units. Methods A correlational survey design was used to investigate to complete a battery of instruments measuring individualised care (the ICS), patient satisfaction with nursing care (the PSS), patient autonomy and perceived health-related quality of life (the 15D). The data from these instruments were used to test the proposed model using LISREL implementing the Maximum Likelihood estimation procedure. Results The findings support the proposed model linking individualised nursing care directly to the positive patient outcomes defined. The initial model, permitting all possible covariances, showed a good fit between the variables. Independent variables, supported individuality through nursing interventions (ICS-A) and perception of individuality in their own care (ICS-B) accounted for 58% of the variance in the frequency of individualised care. Individualised care explained the variance on the dependent variables patient satisfaction and patient autonomy. A low but significant association was also found between individualised care and perceived health-related quality of life. Conclusions The results of this study highlight the contribution of individualised nursing care to positive patient outcomes, such as patient satisfaction, patient autonomy and perceived health-related quality of life. Not only clinically important, this model also has implications for further research into individualised care and its relationship with positive patient outcomes.