Counselling Needs of Patients: A Comparative Study between Nigeria and Canada

Abstract

This study attempts to compare the expectations of patients between Nigeria and Canada towards healthcare. The descriptive survey was adopted for the study. The sample consisted of Two thousand four hundred respondents who were selected both in Nigeria and Canada using simple random and systematic random techniques. A questionnaire tagged: Counselling Needs of Patients Questionnaire (CNPQ) was used to collect data. Three research questions were constructed and answered. The validity of the instrument was done by experts and the reliability of the instrument was ascertained with an r value of 0.70. The data collected were analyzed using frequency types and percentages. The results showed that there is close similarity in the counselling needs of respondents in Nigeria and Canada. It was concluded that Counsellors should be aware of the needs of patients and they should strive to meet the needs in a professional manner. Counsellors should also be aware of the unique need of patients based on social, spiritual, financial and physical need to provide appropriate and adequate care for patients. Professional counsellors need to engage in continuous training to meet the needs of patients as it may change over time.