• La Vonne A Downey and Leslie S Zun.
• Roosevelt University/School of Policy Studies, 430 Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605, USA. ldowney@roosevelt.edu
• J Natl Med Assoc. 2010 Jul 1;102(7):637-43.

Objectives(1) To determine the patient's comprehension of the reasons for admission in the emergency department and (2) to examine what, if any, correlation there is between patients' understanding and satisfaction with care.MethodsUsing a convenience sample over a 6-month period, patients from an urban, level 1 adult and pediatric trauma center were interviewed by research fellows in a patient care area. A total of 287 patients were given the Emergency Department Quality Study (EDQS) survey in either English or Spanish. Only patients 18 years or older, who were able to consent, spoke English or Spanish, and were medically stable were included in the study. The study was approved by the institutional review board. An analysis of variance was used to determine if any significant difference exists between patient understanding and satisfaction with care. In order to determine which of these variables could predict patient satisfaction levels, a log linear regression was used.ResultsThe majority (90%) of patients rated their care as good to excellent, and 78% of them did understand why they were being admitted. A total of 22%, however, did not understand their test results and the cause for their being admitted to the hospital. There was a significant negative finding among the patient not having an understanding of tests, reason for admission, returning to the emergency department for care, and their overall patient satisfaction.ConclusionsSuccessful communication between doctors and patients around the reasons for admission and test results can be an important predictor of patient satisfaction. Medical information not communicated in an understandable way to patients can lead to lower levels of patient satisfaction.

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