• Daniel A Handel, L Keith French, Jonathan Nichol, Jami Momberger, and Rongwei Fu.
• Division of Emergency Medicine, Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. Electronic address: handel@musc.edu.
• Ann Emerg Med. 2014 Dec 1; 64 (6): 604-8.

Study ObjectiveOur primary aim is to identify patient and emergency department (ED) characteristics that are associated with patient satisfaction scores.MethodsThis retrospective study reviewed Press Ganey patient satisfaction surveys completed between December 2009 and May 2013 in a single academic ED for all patients aged 21 years and older. Patient and ED operational characteristics were included in the analysis. The outcomes were satisfaction scores for overall experience, likelihood to recommend, and wait time before consulting provider. A linear mixed-effects regression model was used while taking the clustering within patients and physicians into account.ResultsTwo thousand eighty-three patients were included in the analysis, representing all responses to the survey. A total response rate could not be calculated because Press Ganey does not report the total number of surveys sent out. During this period, 119,244 patients were treated in the ED. The overall mean score was 7.7 (SD 2.7) for overall experience, 78.0 (SD 31.8) for likelihood to recommend, and 70.9 (SD 30.7) for wait time before consulting provider. For all 3 outcomes, white older patients with low door-to-room times had higher scores. Additionally, survey language and payer type were significantly associated with overall experience score, discharge length of stay and time of day by shift were significantly associated with wait time scores, and patients who arrive by ambulance were less likely to recommend the ED.ConclusionBoth ED and patient characteristics were associated with satisfaction with care. EDs seeking to increase patient satisfaction scores may consider working on reducing door-to-room times.Copyright © 2014 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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