Assessment of Public Relations as management tool in nurse-patient relationship on quality of care and decision-making in public hospitals in Benue State

Abstract

The study particularly, aimed to ascertain the uses of public relations as management tool in nurse-patient relationship on quality of care and decision making in public hospitals in Benue State. The study was anchored on Interpersonal Relations Theory. The research technique employed was the survey method. The population for this study comprised all patients in Benue State representing three senatorial districts, namely: Benue North East, Benue North West, Benue South as well as all the nurses working in public hospitals in Benue State. Benue State is estimated approximately, 6,141,300 (National Population Commission, 2022). The multi-stage sampling techniques was employed to select a sample size of 400, while the instrument for data collection was the questionnaire. Data was collected and analyzed by frequency distribution tables and expressed in simple percentages. Findings showed that, there are uses of public relations as management tool in nurse-patient relationship in public hospitals. The uses are: Building trust, confidence and transparency, promoting patient-centered care, crisis communication, patient advocacy and education delivery, community engagement or relations, feedback and continuous improvement and promoting a positive image. The findings also showed the kind of relationship that existed between nurses and patients during their interaction in the healthcare facility as combination of social relationship and therapeutic relationship. The study therefore recommends that, Nurses should be good public relations’ practitioners in order to forestall conflicts and maintain cordial relationships amongst patients. They should increasingly be exposed to the study of public relations as it relates to their profession.