ASSESSING NURSING SERVICE QUALITY

COMPARISON BETWEEN BRAZIL AND THE UNITED STATES

This study measured and compared the perceived quality of delivered nursing services in hospital settings in Brazil and the United States. Within the context of this study purpose, four research hypotheses were tested.

The hypothesis that patient perceptions of the quality level of nursing services will be higher in the United States than in Brazil was rejected. The hypothesis that provider perceptions of the quality level of nursing services will be higher in the United States than in Brazil was accepted. The hypothesis that patient perceptions of the quality level of nursing services will be lower than provider perceptions of these services in the United States was rejected. The hypothesis held that patient perceptions of the quality level of nursing services will be higher than provider perceptions of these services in Brazil was accepted.

The preceding findings suggest that either American hospitals are understaffed in relation to Brazilian hospitals, or that American nurses are not as caring as are Brazilian nurses. Neither alternative is comforting. The findings also suggest that, as a group, American nurses are likely better trained than are Brazilian nurses, but that American nurses are required to perform administrative tasks to an extent that detracts from their ability to attend to patient needs.

A conclusion was drawn that under staffing a

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section. The methodology is discussed within the contexts of data collection and data analysis.Data Collection The data required for the testing of the hypotheses were collected through the administration of survey questionnaires. A survey is "a process of collecting data from existing population units, with no particular control over factors that may affect the population characteristics of interest in the study" (Pfaffenberger and Paterson, 1987, p. 13). Six specific steps are involved in the planning of a survey. These steps are as follows: 1. A clear and detailed statement of the problem to be investigated must be developed. The problem statement should clearly indicate what is to be determined by the conduct of the survey. These actions have been completed for the proposed study. 2. A decision must be made with respect to the number of subjects to be surveyed. The choice in this instance is between a census of the population of interest, or a sample of that population. A sample of 30 patients and 30 care providers will be surveyed in both Brazil (Campo Grande) and the United States (Scranton). 3. The framework of the survey must be designed. The survey must be designed to isolate the characteristic or cha
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Approximate Word count = 5967
Approximate Pages = 24 (250 words per page)

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