Effectiveness of nursing interventions on patient experiences with health care: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

AimTo synthesize and evaluate the effects of nurse‐led or nursing‐focused interventions for improving patient experience with health care in hospitals.BackgroundPatient experiences have increasingly been highlighted as a key healthcare quality indicator in many countries with highly developed healthcare systems. It is critical to learn about the effectiveness of previously conducted nursing interventions since nursing care is reported to be the primary driver of patient experience.MethodsThis systematic review and meta‐analysis was conducted in accordance with the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis and followed the PRISMA statement guidelines. The PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL databases were systematically searched in May 2023. Randomized controlled trials and quasi‐experimental studies that were led by nurses or focused on nursing care strategies were included. The JBI critical appraisal checklists were employed to assess methodological quality.ResultsA total of 15 761 records were identified; 11 studies met the inclusion criteria. Nursing interventions focused on optimizing the approach to nursing rounds, enhancing communication with patients, improving patient education, and increasing interaction with patients. The meta‐analysis showed that nursing interventions increased top‐box responses in the communication about medicines and discharge information dimensions, as well as the overall experience dimension, including the overall hospital rating and willingness to recommend the hospital.ConclusionsAlthough few studies were included, this meta‐analysis showed that nursing interventions improved patients’ experiences in communication about medicines and discharge information, as well as their overall experience. More rigorous studies are needed to better understand the effect of nursing interventions and examine which components may be most effective for improved outcomes.Implications for nursing practice and nursing policyOwing to the powerful influence of nursing, strategies to engage nurses are a means of improving patient experiences. More attention should be given to patients’ experiences of communication with doctors and nurses, and more randomized controlled trials are needed to provide high‐quality evidence.