Kontakt X:X | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2026.025

Perceptions of nurses' behaviour from the perspective of oncology patients and their familiesNursing - Original article

Jana Boroňová^{1, *}, Alena Dziacka¹, Diana Budzáková^{2, 3}

¹ Trnava University, Faculty of Health Care and Social Work, Department of Nursing, Trnava, Slovak Republic

² Saint Elizabeth's Hospice, Ľubica, Slovak Republic

³ Hospice of the Sisters of Mercy, Trenčín, Slovak Republic

Introduction: Nurses' moral behaviour, expressions of compassion, and support of hope represent important aspects of nursing care for oncology patients and may influence both patients' experience of their illness and the experiences of their family members.

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine perceptions of nurses' moral and immoral behaviour, compassion, and support of hope from the perspective of oncology patients and their family members, and to analyse the relationship between these perceptions and respondents' age and the duration of treatment.

Methods: A quantitative exploratory study was conducted from July 2024 to January 2025. The research sample consisted of 70 oncology patients and 70 family members. Data were collected using two non-standardised anonymous questionnaires developed by the authors (19 items for patients and 21 items for family members), rated on a 5-point Likert scale. The internal consistency of the questionnaires was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha (0.70-0.95), indicating adequate to high measurement reliability. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) at a significance level of α = 0.05.

Results: A statistically significant age-related difference in the perception of nurses' compassionate behaviour was found among patients, with younger patients aged 18-30 years evaluating nurses' behaviour less favourably than older age groups. The effect of treatment duration on the perception of support of hope was not confirmed in either patients or family members. Family members evaluated nurses' behaviour more favourably than the patients themselves.

Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of perceptions of nurses' behaviour in the context of compassion and support of hope. They also suggest there is a need for further research using standardised instruments and more representative samples.

Keywords: Compassion; Family members; Hope; Moral behaviour; Nursing; Oncology patients

Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: November 5, 2025; Revised: February 13, 2026; Accepted: April 2, 2026; Prepublished online: April 14, 2026