Improving ED Patient Satisfaction When Triage Nurses Routinely Communicate With Patients as to Reasons for Waits: One Rural Hospital's Experience

Nielsen, Don

doi:10.1016/j.jen.2004.06.015

Cited by 15 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Pellikka et al (2003) and Nielsen (2004) also found that patients need counselling that keeps them updated and informed.…”

Section: Discussion Of the Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it would also be important to involve patients in planning and making decisions about their care and in care assessment (Haywood et al 2006). Furthermore, it is important to keep patients informed and to check their status regularly and also give attention to patients' family and life situation (Nielsen 2004). Counselling in the emergency departments, that is, information giving and advice to patients and their family members, is an important tool for encouraging the patient to cope at home after an emergency department visit.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Experiences of counselling in the emergency department during the waiting period: importance of family participation

Paavilainen

Salminen‐Tuomaala

Kurikka

et al. 2009

Journal of Clinical Nursing

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Aim. To describe patients' experiences of counselling, defined as information giving and advice by nursing staff, in the emergency department. A particular focus was on the waiting period and on the importance of family participation in counselling. Background. Counselling is a widely studied topic in nursing. Too little is known about counselling in emergency departments and especially about participation of family members and suitability of counselling for the patient's life situation. Design. Descriptive quantitative study. Methods. Data were collected by questionnaires from patients (n = 107) visiting a hospital emergency department. The data were subjected to statistical analysis. Results. Forty-two per cent of patients arrived at the emergency department with a family member: spouse or cohabiting partner, mother, father or daughter. Patients were fairly satisfied with the counselling. The presence of a family member was important to the majority of patients (75%). About half of the patients wanted information concerning their illness, condition and treatment to be given to their family members. Those visiting the department with a family member were more satisfied with counselling and felt that it promoted their participation in care. Conclusion. It is to encourage patients' family members to participate in counselling situations in emergency departments. However, the type of information passed on to family members should be carefully discussed and prepared. Relevance to clinical practice. Patients' family members seem to be important partners in counselling situations. The presence of family members supports patients in the emergency department during the waiting period and helps them orientate in their situation. When family members are present, issues which patients wish to discuss should be carefully planned. Family presence should be encouraged in emergency departments.Key words: acute care, counselling, emergency care, emergency department, family nursing Accepted for publication: 9 July 2008 BackgroundAcute illness may give rise to feelings of helplessness, uncertainty and fear in patients when they arrive at the emergency department. An acute illness amidst unfamiliar surroundings and medical equipment can cause stress (Fredriksen & Ringsberg 2007). Acute illness often comes on suddenly and is characterised by unpredictability and uncontrollability. Patients' perceptions are also influenced by how much the illness changes their life situation. The more feelings of relinquishment and loss they experience, the more anxious and vulnerable they are. A perceived lack of control over the situation and separation from family are also perceived as threatening (Fredriksen & Ringsberg 2007 Because of the patient's vulnerability, the nursing staff providing patient counselling in the emergency department need to show special sensitivity (Towle & Weston 2006). In this study counselling is defined as information giving and advice concerning illness and care.Acutely ill patients expect to receive safe care. They...

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“…Pellikka et al (2003) and Nielsen (2004) also found that patients need counselling that keeps them updated and informed.…”

Section: Discussion Of the Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of counselling in the emergency department during the waiting period: importance of family participation

Paavilainen

Salminen‐Tuomaala

Kurikka

et al. 2009

Journal of Clinical Nursing

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“…Some EDs have also started posting expected waiting times on their website or at their triage desk. Improved communication such as described above could increase satisfaction and help increase the tolerance of long ED waiting hours [45,46]. Patients in our survey also expressed the desire for improved privacy, quiet and cleanliness, a snack shop, etc., in the waiting area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Emergency department waiting room: many requests, many insured and many primary care physician referrals

Kamali

Jain

et al. 2013

Int J Emerg Med

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BackgroundIncrease in waiting time often results in patients leaving the emergency department (ED) without being seen, ultimately decreasing patient satisfaction. We surveyed low-acuity patients in the ED waiting room to understand their preferences and expectations.MethodsAn IRB approved, 42-item survey was administered to 400 adult patients waiting in the ED waiting room for >15 min from April to August 2010. Demographics, visit reasons, triage and waiting room facility preferences were collected.ResultsThe mean age of patients was 38.9 years (SD = 14.8), and 52.5% were females. About 53.8% of patients were employed, 79.4% had access to a primary care physician (PCP), and 17% did not have any medical insurance. The most common complaint was pain. A total of 44.4% respondents reported that they believed their problems were urgent and required immediate attention, prompting them to come to the ED, while 14.6% reported that they could not get a timely PCP appointment, and 42.9% were actually referred by their PCP to come to the ED. About 57.7% of patients considered leaving the ED if the waiting times were too long. The mean acceptable waiting time before leaving ED was 221 min (SD = 194; median 180 min, IQR 120–270). A total of 39.1% survey respondents reported being most comfortable being triaged by a physician. Respondents were least comfortable being triaged by residents. On analyzing waiting room expectations for the survey respondents, we found that 70% of the subjects wanted a better estimate of waiting time and 43.5% wanted better information on reasons for the long wait.ConclusionContrary to popular belief, at our ED a large proportion of low-acuity patients has a PCP and is medically insured. Providing patients with appropriate reasons for the wait, an accurate estimate of waiting time and creating separate areas to examine minor illness/injuries would increase patient satisfaction within our population subset.

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“…Lack of communication with triage nursing staff is a major source of patient dissatisfaction (Nielson, ). In our study, the participants’ satisfaction with triage care was associated with being kept informed about what was going on and why, knowing about the health status of the fetus, having questions answered by staff, and having tests results readily shared with them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women’s Satisfaction With Obstetric Triage Services

Evans

Watts

Gratton

2015

Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing

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Improving ED Patient Satisfaction When Triage Nurses Routinely Communicate With Patients as to Reasons for Waits: One Rural Hospital's Experience

Cited by 15 publications

References 2 publications

Experiences of counselling in the emergency department during the waiting period: importance of family participation

Experiences of counselling in the emergency department during the waiting period: importance of family participation

Emergency department waiting room: many requests, many insured and many primary care physician referrals

Women’s Satisfaction With Obstetric Triage Services

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