The Relationship Between Nurses’ Verbal and Nonverbal Therapeutic Communication and Patient Satisfaction in the Inpatient Ward of Dr. Loekmono Hadi Regional General Hospital Kudus

Abstract

Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of healthcare quality and is strongly influenced by nurses' therapeutic communication. Effective verbal and nonverbal communication can strengthen nurse patient relationships, improve patient trust, and enhance satisfaction with nursing services. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between nurses' verbal and nonverbal therapeutic communication and inpatient satisfaction at RSUD dr. Loekmono Hadi Kudus. This quantitative study employed a cross sectional design. The study population consisted of 14,410 inpatients, and 389 respondents were selected using simple random sampling based on the Slovin formula. Data were collected using questionnaires measuring respondent characteristics, verbal therapeutic communication, nonverbal therapeutic communication, and patient satisfaction. Instrument validity and reliability were confirmed before data collection. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Chi Square test with a significance level of 0.05. The results showed that 47.6% of respondents assessed both verbal and nonverbal therapeutic communication as good, while 48.8% reported being satisfied with inpatient services. Chi Square analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between verbal and nonverbal therapeutic communication and patient satisfaction (p = 0.000), with a contingency coefficient of 0.797 indicating a very strong association. These findings suggest that effective therapeutic communication contributes substantially to improving patient satisfaction. Strengthening nurses' communication competencies should therefore become an important strategy for enhancing the quality of nursing care.