Clients' views of waiting time in the accident and emergency department

Abstract

This study sought to explore patients' views of waiting times at the local Accident and Emergency (A&E) department. A descriptive non-experimental design, incorporating a mixture of qualitative and quantitative approaches was adopted. The study involved a convenience sample of ten participants. A structured observational schedule helped to collect data on waiting times to which study participants were subjected during their A&E stay. Simultaneous semi-structured interviews were carried out at four different points of the participants' wait in the department, utilizing the same interview schedule. A retrospective in-depth semi-structured interview was then carried out as soon as the study participants were informed about discharge or transfer. Findings indicate that priority two (semi-urgent) patients experience a median wait of 1 hour 25 minutes. Patients come to the department expecting to wait longer than in actual case; however these expectations change during their stay in A&E. Clients attend A&E because they consider it their only option for care. Overall, an awareness of the sequence in which clients are assessed and treated at the department and the reason for waiting at different stages of the visit was present. The number and severity of cases present and staffing levels and efficiency were considered important determinants of patients' length of stay. Participants viewed pain as the commonest concern related to long waits and the length of wait was considered pivotal in determining the tolerability of the wait. The majority of participants were satisfied with waiting times. Some of the proposed recommendations put forward following completion of this research project include increasing the 24-hour efficiency and availability of diagnostic services within A&E, particularly X-rays; providing distraction within the waiting area and staff education in interpersonal skills. Owing to the fact that this was the researcher's first research project; the small sample size and sampling technique adopted, this study suffers from a number of limitations. The fact that the study made use of qualitative data collection is considered as a strength, which helped in exploring this field of study.