Background & Aim: Implementation of the motivational program by nurse managers can improve nurses' performance and behaviour, provide better care for patients, and promote patients' satisfaction. This study aimed to determine the effect of implementation of the motivational program designed using "Expectancy Theory" by head nurses on patients' satisfaction.

Methods & Materials: This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in medical and surgical units of two hospitals in Zanajn in 2011. Data were gathered using a patient satisfaction questionnaire. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed (α=0.72). Fourty participants were selected and allocated in two study groups. The groups were matched for some variables before the intervention. The motivational program was implemented in the intervention group for five months. The program had two designing and implementation phases including: 1) determining nurse managers' expectancies from nurses, assessing nurses' attitudes about valuable rewards, founding reward management committee and management improvement committee, and providing evaluation checklists for nurses' performance; 2) implementing standards of nursing care and patient education by nurses, monthly evaluation of nurses by head nurses and collaborative members of the reward management committee, determining level of rewards based on the results of nurses' performance evaluation, and giving reward to nurses at the end of each month in a reward ceremony. Data were analyzed using the Paired t-test, Independent t-test, Mann-Whitney, and Chi-squared in the SPSS v.16.

Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups at baseline dealing with the demographic variables. The results showed that patients satisfaction was significantly higher in the intervention group after the intervention (P<0.05).

Conclusion: This motivational program designed based on the "expectancy theory" has clear steps to be implemented among nurses and can be used as a practical guide by nurse managers to improve patients' satisfaction.