The relationship between nurses' perception of ethical climate at the workplace and patient satisfaction with health services provided: A cross-sectional study

Ethics is a fundamental pillar of the nursing profession, and the ethical climate within healthcare organizations is a critical component of ethical practice. A positive ethical climate enhances inter-professional relationships among healthcare providers, improves service quality, and increases patient satisfaction. This study investigated the relationship between nurses' perceptions of the moral environment in their workplace and patient satisfaction with health services provided in the teaching hospitals of Shahrekord, Iran. This cross-sectional study employed a simple random sampling method to recruit 200 nurses working at Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences teaching hospitals in 2020. Data were collected using two questionnaires: one assessing nurses' perceptions of the ethical climate (Olsen) and the other measuring patient satisfaction with healthcare services. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. The non-parametric tests were applied for univariate analysis: the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to examine the relationship between nurses' perceptions of the ethical climate at the workplace and patient satisfaction with health services. The Pearson correlation coefficient revealed no significant relationship between nurses' perceptions of the workplace ethical climate and patient satisfaction with the services provided. Other demographic variables not accounted for in the study may influence this result. A positive ethical climate can elevate nursing standards and improve patient care quality.