Despite overcrowding and access block, doctors still caring

Despite overcrowding and access block, doctors still "caring", patients say

Despite overcrowding and access block, patients still rate their emergency department (ED) doctor as "caring".

A study of almost 500 patients has found over 95% of patients agreed that ED doctors took the problem seriously, treated patients with respect, were courteous and considerate, and demonstrated an overall caring attitude towards patients.

The study by Dr Sarah Limbourn, senior registrar in emergency medicine at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, and Professor Antonio Celenza from the Discipline of Emergency Medicine at the University of Western Australia, is published online as an Early View article of Emergency Medicine Australasia, the journal of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.

"The ED is often the first exposure to clinical care for a patient during acute illness or injury, and quality of care plays an important role in forming a patient's impression of a hospital and its staff," the researchers said.

"One measure of quality of care provided to a patient by the ED is the degree of patient satisfaction."

They said emergency department activity and crowding are increasing and demand for services can often exceed available resources for patient care.

"Intuitively, ED doctors might believe that days of higher departmental activity and resultant increased individual doctor workload result in diminished time for individual patient interaction and less satisfied patients."

This study did not support that intuitive view.

"Aspects of caring important to patients include prompt review, attentiveness and compassion, being listened to, having the opportunity to ask questions and receive comprehensive explanation," the researchers found.

"This relies on the interpersonal relationship developed between the ED doctor and the patient in a short space of time. This relationship does not change with ED activity."

Professor Celenza said the study looked at just one predictor of overall patient satisfaction, namely, being cared for as a human being.

This has been found by previous researchers to be the most powerful predictor of overall patient satisfaction.

Other predictors of overall patient satisfaction include waiting times, perceptions of safety, clarity of discharge instructions and nurses' technical skills.

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