“They Just Don’t Want to Feel Forgotten”: A Mixed-Methods Research on Patient Satisfaction With Wait Times in Emergency Departments
Patient satisfaction, an essential care quality measure, is heavily impacted by wait times. This study examined how different factors affect patient satisfaction with ED wait times in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. This mixed-method study, conducted in 4 EDs, used data collected using telephone...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Patient Experience |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735251333213 |
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| author | Aswathy Geetha Manukumar BSc, PhD(c) Hensley H Mariathas MPhil, PhD Christopher Patey MD Nahid Rahimipour Anaraki PhD Anna Walsh BSc, MSc Oliver Hurley BSc, MEnvSc Dorothy Senior LPN Holly Etchegary PhD Paul Norman BN Shabnam Asghari MD, MPH, PHD |
| author_facet | Aswathy Geetha Manukumar BSc, PhD(c) Hensley H Mariathas MPhil, PhD Christopher Patey MD Nahid Rahimipour Anaraki PhD Anna Walsh BSc, MSc Oliver Hurley BSc, MEnvSc Dorothy Senior LPN Holly Etchegary PhD Paul Norman BN Shabnam Asghari MD, MPH, PHD |
| author_sort | Aswathy Geetha Manukumar BSc, PhD(c) |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Patient satisfaction, an essential care quality measure, is heavily impacted by wait times. This study examined how different factors affect patient satisfaction with ED wait times in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. This mixed-method study, conducted in 4 EDs, used data collected using telephone surveys and semistructured interviews. Patient satisfaction with (1) physician initial assessment and (2) length of stay were analyzed using ordinal regression and thematic analysis. Among the 766 participants, 12% were extremely dissatisfied with physician initial assessment, and 13% were extremely dissatisfied with length of stay. Patients well-informed about the delays were more likely to report higher satisfaction than those who were not informed (aOR = 2.43, 95% CI [1.48-3.99], P -value <.001). Qualitative analysis revealed 4 key themes: poor communication about wait times, lengthy wait times, resource shortages causing long ED wait times, and patients avoiding ED because of it. Our study shows that patients are better satisfied when they are well-informed about the delays. This helped patients feel “less forgotten.” Addressing wait time issues is critical to providing patient-centered care and optimizing the care experience. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f1bc7ea62789433eaacf1a5ee753055d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2374-3743 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Patient Experience |
| spelling | doaj-art-f1bc7ea62789433eaacf1a5ee753055d2025-08-20T01:55:19ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Patient Experience2374-37432025-04-011210.1177/23743735251333213“They Just Don’t Want to Feel Forgotten”: A Mixed-Methods Research on Patient Satisfaction With Wait Times in Emergency DepartmentsAswathy Geetha Manukumar BSc, PhD(c)0 Hensley H Mariathas MPhil, PhD1Christopher Patey MD2Nahid Rahimipour Anaraki PhD3Anna Walsh BSc, MSc4Oliver Hurley BSc, MEnvSc5Dorothy Senior LPN6Holly Etchegary PhD7Paul Norman BN8Shabnam Asghari MD, MPH, PHD9 Centre for Rural Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada Centre for Rural Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada , Carbonear Institute for Rural Reach and Innovation by the Sea, Carbonear General Hospital, Carbonear, NL, Canada Centre for Rural Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada Centre for Rural Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada Centre for Rural Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada NLSUPPORT, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada , St. John's, NL, Canada , Carbonear Institute for Rural Reach and Innovation by the Sea, Carbonear General Hospital, Carbonear, NL, Canada , St. John's, NL, CanadaPatient satisfaction, an essential care quality measure, is heavily impacted by wait times. This study examined how different factors affect patient satisfaction with ED wait times in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. This mixed-method study, conducted in 4 EDs, used data collected using telephone surveys and semistructured interviews. Patient satisfaction with (1) physician initial assessment and (2) length of stay were analyzed using ordinal regression and thematic analysis. Among the 766 participants, 12% were extremely dissatisfied with physician initial assessment, and 13% were extremely dissatisfied with length of stay. Patients well-informed about the delays were more likely to report higher satisfaction than those who were not informed (aOR = 2.43, 95% CI [1.48-3.99], P -value <.001). Qualitative analysis revealed 4 key themes: poor communication about wait times, lengthy wait times, resource shortages causing long ED wait times, and patients avoiding ED because of it. Our study shows that patients are better satisfied when they are well-informed about the delays. This helped patients feel “less forgotten.” Addressing wait time issues is critical to providing patient-centered care and optimizing the care experience.https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735251333213 |
| spellingShingle | Aswathy Geetha Manukumar BSc, PhD(c) Hensley H Mariathas MPhil, PhD Christopher Patey MD Nahid Rahimipour Anaraki PhD Anna Walsh BSc, MSc Oliver Hurley BSc, MEnvSc Dorothy Senior LPN Holly Etchegary PhD Paul Norman BN Shabnam Asghari MD, MPH, PHD “They Just Don’t Want to Feel Forgotten”: A Mixed-Methods Research on Patient Satisfaction With Wait Times in Emergency Departments Journal of Patient Experience |
| title | “They Just Don’t Want to Feel Forgotten”: A Mixed-Methods Research on Patient Satisfaction With Wait Times in Emergency Departments |
| title_full | “They Just Don’t Want to Feel Forgotten”: A Mixed-Methods Research on Patient Satisfaction With Wait Times in Emergency Departments |
| title_fullStr | “They Just Don’t Want to Feel Forgotten”: A Mixed-Methods Research on Patient Satisfaction With Wait Times in Emergency Departments |
| title_full_unstemmed | “They Just Don’t Want to Feel Forgotten”: A Mixed-Methods Research on Patient Satisfaction With Wait Times in Emergency Departments |
| title_short | “They Just Don’t Want to Feel Forgotten”: A Mixed-Methods Research on Patient Satisfaction With Wait Times in Emergency Departments |
| title_sort | they just don t want to feel forgotten a mixed methods research on patient satisfaction with wait times in emergency departments |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735251333213 |
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