Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The first step to helping emergency room patients feel better could be . . . no, not treating them or helping them control their pain, but telling them how long they'll have to wait. That's the finding of a recent national survey of more than 1.5 million patients in over 1,600 ERs.

The survey, conducted by health-care consulting firm Press Ganey, found that although satisfaction decreased the longer a patient waited, consistent communication with ER staff helped people feel comfortable and cared for.

In 2007, the average ER visit lasted four hours and five minutes -- five minutes longer than in the previous year. (In Virginia, the average wait was 30 minutes longer. In Maryland, it was 41 minutes longer. The wait time wasn't identified in the District.)

Patients ranked "how well they were informed about delays" as their top priority, followed by pain control, how much the nurses cared about them as a person, how well they were informed of treatment, and the overall wait time.

People who waited more than four hours to see a doctor but remained well - informed of delays scored more than twice as high on overall satisfaction (96.6 points on a 100-point scale) as those who waited just one hour and considered their updating "very poor" (42.7).

Some hospitals surveyed used a "fast-track" system to separate patients with minor injuries and less severe illnesses from those who required more medical attention and might have needed to be admitted. On average, fast-tracked patients (those with minor problems) waited 24 minutes less than patients with more severe ailments, but the survey didn't examine whether these patients were more satisfied.

Some patients also said they felt rushed by doctors and lost confidence in the hospital when staff members complained of overcrowding and understaffing.

The survey, " Emergency Department Pulse Report: Patient Perspectives on American Healthcare," is available online at http://www.pressganey.com. Under "News & Events," click on "2008 ER Pulse Report Released."

-- Brittney Johnson