PATIENT EXPECTATIONS OF EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT CARE

Aim: Understand patient expectations of the emergency department and bring attention to meaningful and essential sources of information for identifying gaps and developing an effective action plan for quality improvement in healthcare organizations.

Methodology:   a cross-sectional study among patients who attended the emergency department (ED) – east Jeddah Hospital – Jeddah – Saudi Arabia.

Results: 375 patients participated in this study; 42.7% were male and 57.3% Female. Patients place the highest importance on the doctor using plain language and check that, and staff explains the test results in a way you can understand 93%, followed by the importance of being seen by a specialist upon request and staff explaining the circumstances to be returned to the ED 87%.

Conclusion: Emergency department crowding is a serious and growing problem in many countries; nevertheless, to meet patient expectations, patients and physicians must have a relationship connected by open access to information, communication, and support.

Key Words: Emergency department – Expectation - healthcare quality.