The effect of emergency department patients' pain beliefs and experiences on perceived nursing care and patient satisfaction

Purpose: This research was conducted to examine the impact of pain beliefs and experiences of patients presenting to the emergency department with pain complaints on perceived nursing care and patient satisfaction. Materials and Method: This descriptive study was conducted with 475 patients in the Adult Emergency Department of Turgut Özal Medical Center, İnönü University, between December 2024 and December 2025. Data were collected face-to-face using the "Patient Identification Form", "Emergency Department Patient Satisfaction Scale", "Care Behaviors Scale-24", "Brief Pain Inventory", and "Pain Beliefs Scale". Results: 50.5% of the participants were female, and the mean age was 46.95±18.61. The mean scores were 48.32±14.23 for the Emergency Department Patient Satisfaction Scale and 3.85±1.14 for the Care Behaviors Scale-24. The mean pain intensity was 5.32±1.80, with organic and psychological belief scores of 2.70±0.94 and 2.20±0.82, respectively. The Brief Pain Inventory and Pain Beliefs Scale variables explained 24.7% of the variance in care behavior scores (R²=0.266; F=13.935; p<0.001), and it was determined that pain relief with pain treatment, psychological beliefs, current pain, and some activities affected by pain (general activity status and enjoyment of life) were significant predictors (p<0.05).The same variables explained 25.2% of the variance in emergency department patient satisfaction scores (R²=0.271; F=14.307; p<0.001) and that psychological beliefs and some activities affected by pain (sleeping, deep breathing-coughing exercise, relief from pain treatment, enjoyment of life) were significant predictors. Conclusion: The study concluded that the effectiveness of pain management in the emergency department and patients' psychological beliefs about pain significantly affect both their perception of care behaviors and patient satisfaction; in particular, achieving pain control is important in improving the quality of care and satisfaction. It is recommended to strengthen pain management in the emergency department and adopt holistic approaches that take into account patients' beliefs about pain. Keywords: Emergency, Pain Experience, Pain Beliefs, Perception of Care, Care Satisfaction