What Can We Do to Improve Patient Satisfactıon in the Emergency Department? A Prospective Study in a Turkish University Hospital

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, patients' satisfaction with emergency medical services provided to them has been one of the main criteria in the evaluation of the quality of these services. OBJECTIVE: The goal of our study was to determine the factors that affect the satisfaction of patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) and to provide new regulations. METHODS: This prospective and descriptive study included 341 patients who utilized the ED services of a university hospital between October 1, 2004, and June 30, 2005. The patients' demographic and visit characteristics, waiting times, and the total duration of stay in the ED were noted in the prepared questionnaire. In addition, all patients were asked to indicate their level of satisfaction with the care received in the ED based on a five-point Likert scale. The results were analyzed using ANOVA, chi-square, and logistic regression tests. RESULTS: Of the 341 patients, 219 (64.2%) were satisfied with the care they had received in the ED. Factors such as doctor and nurse behavior, medical information, the frequency of doctors and nurses visits, the ease of access to personnel, the cleanliness of the ED, and the availability of technical equipment had a statistically significant effect on the overall satisfaction of the patients (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The quality of patient care provided and the features of the ED determine the patients’ satisfaction with the ED services.