The Effect of Nurse-Patient Racial Concordance on Patient Satisfaction

Background: Previous studies have shown that sharing a similar racial/ethnic background (racial concordance) with the clinician could affect quality of care and patient satisfaction. However, little research has been done on the relationship between nurse-patient racial concordance and patient satisfaction. Therefore, the study aims to study the effects of nurse-patient racial concordance on patient satisfaction. Methods: This was a quantitative study that recruited 30 minority patients who had been hospitalized in the past six months. Eligible participants were surveyed with Patient Satisfaction with Nursing Care Quality Questionnaire (PSNCQQ) to determine their satisfaction with nursing care. They were also given the option to answer one open-ended question about their lived experience with nurse-patient racial concordance. The satisfaction scores were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), and a two-sample t-test was used to compare racially concordant versus non-concordant participants. Results: The mean satisfaction score for racially concordant participants is 17.1% higher than non-concordant participants. The two-sample t-test yielded p (one-tailed) = 0.0365 and p (two-tailed) = 0.0730. Participants reported higher quality of communication, more empathy and comfort with racially concordant nurses. Conclusion: Although more research with larger sample sizes and broader scope is needed, this study has shown an increase in patient satisfaction with nurse-patient racial concordance. Keywords: patient satisfaction, nurse-patient racial concordance, nursing workforce diversity, culturally responsive care