Abstract
Background: South Africa has implemented several health improvements to strengthen
primary health care (PHC). Despite that, there is an increasing number of patient complaints
that may affect job satisfaction among healthcare providers, especially nurses.
Aim: This study explored how patient complaints can impact job satisfaction of nurses in the
PHC clinics, Ehlanzeni District, Mpumalanga, South Africa.
Setting: Professional nurses from three PHC clinics in Ehlanzeni District, Mpumalanga, South
Africa, were recruited.
Methods: A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive design was utilised. Eleven professional
nurses were recruited purposively at the three selected PHC clinics until saturation was
reached. Semi-structured, individual interviews were conducted, transcribed verbatim and
analysed thematically using Saldana’s coding methods.
Results: Five major themes and sub-themes emerged: perceived staff attitudes and patient
complaints, work environment stressors, emotional impact on nurses, communication
challenges and recommended strategies for improvement. Primary health care nurses reported
that patients’ complaints often stemmed from long waiting, insufficient staff and a lack of
communication; however, these were reflected as staff failures, leading to reduced morale and
confidence.
Conclusion: Most reported patient complaints relate to negative staff attitudes, often
compounded by systemic issues such as staff shortages, inadequate material resources and
long waiting times. This study brings to the fore that patient complaints should be understood
within the broader systemic context, as they can significantly influence nurses’ job satisfaction.
Contribution: This study contributes empirical evidence to the under-researched area of the
impact of patient complaints on nurses’ morale in the South African context.