Is the right to information fulfilled in an emergency department? Patients' perceptions of the care provided

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVE: In an emergency department (ED), the effective exchange of information between patients and health care providers is recognized as being critically important to patient care. The aims of this study were to evaluate the extent to which the right to information is fulfilled in the ED, to ascertain the degree of patient satisfaction with the attention received and to evaluate the relation between satisfaction and the information received, waiting time and seriousness of the emergency. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional survey that involved 300 patients who consulted an ED during a period of 3 months. The data were obtained by means of a self-administered validated questionnaire: sociodemographic characteristics, variables related with the treatment received and overall satisfaction were obtained. Medical records were also analysed. RESULTS: The percentages of patients who received information about the reason for a complementary test, discomfort and complications were: 90.4%, 68.3% and 37%, respectively. In all, 98.3% claimed to have understood diagnosis, but when their written answers were analysed only 37.7% were exactly correlated. The percentages of patients who received information about posology, duration and side effects on medication were: 89.9%, 85.7% and 53%, respectively. Overall, 66% of the patients considered the attention they received as 'good' or 'excellent'. There is a statistically significant relation between patient perceptions of received information and overall satisfaction of care and perceived waiting time. CONCLUSION: Providing the patients with information in all phases of the care process, giving the opportunity to ask questions, resolving doubts and providing legible and easily understood discharge instructions all contribute to increasing patient satisfaction in ED.