Patients' Experiences in Using Emergency Department Services and Factors Influencing Willingness to Return

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the experiences of patients who used emergency department services and to analyze the factors which influenced their willingness to use them again. METHODS: The survey was carried out at 17 emergency medical centers for one days, and 509 patients and caregivers answered the questions. The questionnaire was developed through literature review and consultation with professionals. The survey questions addressed the following: duration of residence in ED (emergency department), waiting times, fairness of waiting times, respectfulness from medical staff, explanation of treatment plan, explanation of medical test, explanation of drug prescription, explanation of discharge, ease of asking about treatment, response times to requests for help, respect for privacy, existence of threatening situations and cleanliness of ED. RESULTS: The major factors which influenced patients' willingness to return were duration of residence in ED, fairness of waiting times, respectfulness from medical staff, explanation of drug prescription, ease of asking about treatment, existence of threatening situations and cleanliness of ED. Only education among all demographic and socio-economic factors and clinical outcomes had a bearing on willingness to return. CONCLUSION: The evaluation of patients' experiences is a useful method for gauging the quality of emergency department services. Moreover, specifically focused questions about patients' experiences can greatly contribute to improving the quality of emergency department services.