Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this qualitative research study was to ascertain which nurse behaviors a subsection of adults 50 years and older who had had a recent inpatient admission believed conveyed nurse listening.
BACKGROUND: Listening by nurses has been identified as one of the factors with the greatest impact on patients' overall rating of their hospital experience. The behaviors of nurses that lead to patients' perceptions that listening has occurred have been unexamined, thus hampering attempts at improvement.
METHODS: Because of lack of literature support, a qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis was undertaken to elicit a rich description of patients' lived experiences related to nurse listening behaviors.
RESULTS: Study participants provided specific behaviors, both verbal and nonverbal, which led them to believe the nurse was either listening or not. These perceptions affected their sense of safety and ability to trust.
CONCLUSIONS: Embracing these described behaviors could significantly impact patients' safety and recovery.