J Korean Soc Emerg Med.
2008 Jun;19(3):253-262.
Patients' Experiences in Using Emergency Department Services and Factors Influencing Willingness to Return
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Korea. yoonkim@snu.ac.kr
- 2Institute of Health Policy and Management, SNUMRC, Korea.
- 3Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, Korea.
- 4Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Korea.
- 5Department of Emergency Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Korea.
- 6Department of Emergency Medicine, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Korea.
Abstract
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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.
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