Hospital and Health System

Longer ED Visits, Communication about Delays Linked to Patient Satisfaction

A new report from a provider of quality improvement solutions finds that longer ED visits and communication about delays are the top priorities for improvement, according to patient evaluations on ED experiences.

The Emergency Department Pulse Report from Press Ganey Associates analyzes the experiences of more than 1.5 million patients treated at 1,656 EDs nationwide in 2007. Findings from the 2008 Report include:

• Patients spend an average of four hours, six minutes in the ED, up from four hours just a year ago. This continues the upward trend observed from previous years.
• There is wide variability from state to state in the amount of time spent in the ED. Average visit time by state ranges from 2¾ hours to nearly 6½ hours.
• There is also notable variation in overall satisfaction based on geographic location. EDs in Milwaukee, Wis. ranked highest in levels of patient satisfaction nationwide. Rounding out the top 10 in patient satisfaction were the metropolitan area EDs of Columbus, OH; Miami; Detroit; Indianapolis; Pittsburgh; Boston; Kansas City, Kan.; Chicago; and St. Louis.
• Time spent in the ED is a critical factor in the overall satisfaction of patients that causes dramatic shifts in satisfaction. While patient satisfaction decreases with longer visits, the good news is that EDs can mitigate this dissatisfaction — and actually improve satisfaction in spite of long visit times — by regularly updating patients with information about delays.
• Patients report high satisfaction with issues related to personal and insurance information, signifying progress in gathering patient information in a respectful, private and efficient manner.