Visiting the emergency department (ED) is often a stressful experience for patients, as well as for their families and carers. It can be filled with uncertainty, not knowing how long they will be there, what the next steps in their care and treatment are, or whether they will need to be admitted to hospital.
Interactions with receptionists, patient support teams and other hospital staff are just as important as the dealings with doctors and nurses. When care is provided with respect and kindness, questions are answered and information is shared, this is just as important as the clinical treatment received.
Providing a better experience
NSW Health is committed to creating exceptional experiences for everyone who visits hospital emergency departments. Patients, carers and families now have an environment where they feel welcomed, safe, cared for and empowered. They know where to go when they arrive, what to expect during their visit and receive valuable updates along the way. Information is provided in a language of choice to make the situation easier to understand and less stressful.
Better amenities for comfort
Easy access to amenities is now also provided to help reduce the stress of waiting with comfortable seating, refreshments, free wi-fi, phone charging stations, clearer signage and comfort packs available. Learn more about the Emergency Department Patient Experience Program today.
of respondents said that emergency department health professionals are always kind and caring with the program now in place.
“A huge compliment on the friendly and helpful patient experience officer. A kind staff member like him transforms the stressful ED experience.”
“The Patient Experience Officer who looks after all those in the ED waiting room was amazing! I don't mind waiting so much when someone is updating you on the wait time and helping to make you feel comfortable.”
- 62.2% of respondents said they always received timely assistance after the program implementation, an increase from 53.9% before.
- 200% increase in customer compliments and 50% increase in complaints with the increased focus on ED experience over a 9-month period.
- Patient information and videos are now produced in 27 languages, including in Auslan.
- Decrease in interruptions to triage staff.
- A significant decrease in the number of security callouts, from an average of 4.6 a month to 3.4.
Source: NSW Health
Video
Improving the emergency department experience
Patient Experience Managers from Nepean, Liverpool and Lismore Base Hospitals share how they create a welcoming and supportive environment for emergency department customers.
