J Korean Acad Fam Med.  1997 May;18(5):541-547.

How to settle the dissatisfaction of patients against the Emergency room

• An BE
• Eom SN
• Lee SK
• Jun KH

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In these days of increasing need for medical treatment, and the trend of changing lifestyles for personal health care, the position of medical treatment has led to the increase of careful and various services to every member of the community. But the reality of medical treatment, including the present situation of the emergency room in general hospital is recognized as the cause of those dissatisfactions and complaints of both patients and their caregivers. So this study aims at contributing to the harmonious relation between doctor and patient.
METHODS
This study has been carried out by the questionnaire method on the basis of the relatively reasonable 331 papers among 430 questionnaire papers of the patients and their caregivers hospitalized by way of the emergency room in Cheonju Yeong Dong Hospital from Sep. 1994 to Apr. 1995.
RESULTS
Among 331 subjects of this questionnaire, there were 121 male patients(36.6%), 76 female patients(23.0%), 80 male caregivers(24.2%), 54 female caregivers. The subjects were compaced of 23 teenagers(7.8%), 74 in their twenties(22.4%), 135 in their thirties(40.8%), 52 in their fourties(15.7%), 29 in their fifties(8.8%), 12 in their sixties(3.6%), 6 in their seventies(1.8 %). Both patients and their caregivers seemed to have a great dissatisfactions and complaints, which can be extraneous to medical treatment. Many patients complained of the unbearable situations such as delayed pain control before after a first-aid treatment, as well as various poor condition of medical treatment in emergency room. Their caregives complained of the lack of a thought explanation of diagnosis and prognosis, as well as the tedious waiting time before taking medical teratment. There were many cases where the emergent patients took medical treatment with some dissatisfa'ctions and complaints of medical staffs or medical donditions.
CONCLUSIONS
When using the emergency room in a general hospital, both patients and their caregivers experiance a great deal of dissatisfactions and complaints, which can be followed by a distrust of the hospital and an obstacle of medical treatment. The medical staff, such as the hospital authorities, doctors, and nurses should make various improvements upon the medical conditions of the emergency room in general hospital.

MeSH Terms

Caregivers
Delivery of Health Care
Diagnosis
Emergencies*
Emergency Service, Hospital*
Female
Hospitals, General
Humans
Life Style
Male
Medical Staff
Prognosis
Surveys and Questionnaires