<![CDATA[Background: Nursing care extends beyond clinical procedures to include interpersonal, psychological, social, and emotional support. Preliminary observations in the study setting indicated that patients generally perceived technical aspects of care positively, while gaps remained in emotional interaction and psychosocial support. Objective: To examine the association between nurses’ caring behaviors and patient satisfaction among inpatients at a hospital in South Tangerang City in 2026. Methods: This quantitative correlational study used a cross-sectional design. A total of 67 inpatients from class II and III wards were selected using purposive sampling. Nurses’ caring behaviors were assessed using the Caring Behavior Inventory (CBI-24), while patient satisfaction was assessed using SERVQUAL. Data were summarized descriptively and the association between caring behavior and patient satisfaction was tested using the chi-square test. Results: Most respondents were in the 18–59-year age category (88.1%) and were female (67.2%). More than half rated nurses’ caring behavior as low (52.2%), and 56.7% reported dissatisfaction with the services received. Among SERVQUAL dimensions, empathy had the highest dissatisfaction, with 42 of 67 respondents (62.7%) reporting dissatisfaction. Nurses’ caring behavior was significantly associated with patient satisfaction (p < 0.001). Patients who perceived low caring behavior had higher odds of reporting dissatisfaction than those who perceived high caring behavior (OR = 8.80; 95% CI: 2.91–26.63). Conclusion: Nurses’ caring behavior was significantly associated with patient satisfaction in the studied inpatient wards. Because of the cross-sectional design, the finding should be interpreted as an association rather than a causal relationship. ]]>
