Clin Exp Emerg Med.  2018 Sep;5(3):156-164. 10.15441/ceem.17.254.

Factors associated with satisfaction with pediatric emergency department services in Korea: analysis of Korea Health Panel Data 2010 to 2012

• Lee KJ
• Kim MJ
• Park JM
• Kim KH
• Park J
• Shin DW
• Kim H
• Jeon W
• Kim H

• KMID: 2422658
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.15441/ceem.17.254

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
We aimed to investigate the factors related to satisfaction with the pediatric emergency department service in Korea.
METHODS
This study examined data from the Korea Health Panel Data from 2010 to 2012. Pediatric patients who visited the emergency department at least once between 2010 and 2012 in Korea were included. Data were collected on patient satisfaction with the emergency department service, and factors related to the patient characteristics, emergency department service process, and medical institution. We compared the dissatisfied and satisfied groups, and calculated the odds ratios for satisfaction according to each variable.
RESULTS
A total of 1,505 emergency department visits from 947 pediatric patients during the 3-year period were analyzed. We estimated that about 79.5% of patients in the population were satisfied. The odds of expressing satisfaction were higher among males than in females, and among patients who were hospitalized after emergency department treatment compared to those who were transferred to another hospital. Conversely, the odds of expressing satisfaction were lower among patients who had a chronic disease, a financial source other than National Health Insurance, experienced hospitalization within 1 year.
CONCLUSION
Our study results might be helpful for establishing a satisfactory pediatric emergency medical service system. In the future, further prospective studies evaluating the causal relationships between the relevant factors and patient satisfaction are warranted.

Keyword

Patient satisfaction; Emergency medical services; Pediatrics; Parents

MeSH Terms

Chronic Disease
Emergencies*
Emergency Medical Services
Emergency Service, Hospital*
Female
Hospitalization
Humans
Korea*
Male
National Health Programs
Odds Ratio
Parents
Patient Satisfaction
Pediatrics
Prospective Studies