Manukumar Aswathy Geetha, Mariathas Hensley H, Patey Christopher, Anaraki Nahid Rahimipour, Walsh Anna, Hurley Oliver, Senior Dorothy, Etchegary Holly, Norman Paul, Asghari Shabnam
Centre for Rural Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada.
Discipline of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada.
J Patient Exp. 2025 Apr 1;12:23743735251333213. doi: 10.1177/23743735251333213. eCollection 2025.
Patient satisfaction, an essential care quality measure, is heavily impacted by wait times. This study examined how different factors affect patient satisfaction with ED wait times in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. This mixed-method study, conducted in 4 EDs, used data collected using telephone surveys and semistructured interviews. Patient satisfaction with (1) physician initial assessment and (2) length of stay were analyzed using ordinal regression and thematic analysis. Among the 766 participants, 12% were extremely dissatisfied with physician initial assessment, and 13% were extremely dissatisfied with length of stay. Patients well-informed about the delays were more likely to report higher satisfaction than those who were not informed (aOR = 2.43, 95% CI [1.48-3.99], -value <.001). Qualitative analysis revealed 4 key themes: poor communication about wait times, lengthy wait times, resource shortages causing long ED wait times, and patients avoiding ED because of it. Our study shows that patients are better satisfied when they are well-informed about the delays. This helped patients feel "less forgotten." Addressing wait time issues is critical to providing patient-centered care and optimizing the care experience.
患者满意度作为一项重要的护理质量衡量指标，受到候诊时间的严重影响。本研究探讨了不同因素如何影响加拿大纽芬兰与拉布拉多省急诊室候诊时间的患者满意度。这项混合方法研究在4个急诊室开展，使用通过电话调查和半结构化访谈收集的数据。采用有序回归和主题分析对患者对（1）医生初始评估和（2）住院时间的满意度进行了分析。在766名参与者中，12%对医生初始评估极为不满，13%对住院时间极为不满。与未被告知延误情况的患者相比，充分了解延误情况的患者更有可能报告更高的满意度（调整后比值比 = 2.43，95%置信区间[1.48 - 3.99]，P值 <.001）。定性分析揭示了4个关键主题：候诊时间沟通不畅、候诊时间过长、资源短缺导致急诊室候诊时间长以及患者因此而避免前往急诊室。我们的研究表明，当患者充分了解延误情况时，他们的满意度更高。这有助于患者感觉“不那么被遗忘”。解决候诊时间问题对于提供以患者为中心的护理和优化护理体验至关重要。
