Communication satisfaction of professional nurses in public health care services in South Africa: A leadership perspective

23^rd World Nursing and Healthcare Conference

July 10-12, 2017 Berlin, Germany

J D Wagner

University of South Africa, South Africa

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

Introduction: Communication is an essential element for the success of health service organizations and therefore it needs to assess its communication systems, (by means of communication audits), from time to time. This study highlighted areas of effective and ineffective communication, as well as areas of communication satisfaction and dissatisfaction, among professional nurses. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe communication effectiveness and communication satisfaction experienced by professional nurses in selected public health services. Research Design: Quantitative, explorative and descriptive research was conducted. The Downs and Adrian (2004) structured questionnaire was adapted to collect the data. The study population consisted of three groups of professional nurses, namely nurse managers, operational managers and professional nurses in three selected public hospitals. Results: The findings revealed that although professional nurses are satisfied with their supervisor-subordinate communication, they are dissatisfied with personal feedback between all categories of professional nurses. Recommendations: For the improvement of the communication effectiveness and communication satisfaction, professional nurses are aimed at creating an organizational atmosphere conducive to two-way communication.

Biography :

J D Wagner has graduated from the University of South Africa (UNISA) in 2013 with a Master’s degree in Health Studies. He has functioned in both the public and private health sectors in South Africa in Clinical Nursing. He is currently a Lecturer in the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa.