Perspectives on Visitors in the Emergency Department: Their Role and Importance

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• 作者：Vicken Y. Totten ; Tara K. Bryant ; Apoorva K. Ch ; ar ; Wyatt B. Hoch ; Stephanie L. Hunter ; Nikita J. Patel ; Barry E. Brenner
• 关键词：visitors ; quality ; patient-centered ; satisfaction ; social support
• 刊名：Journal of Emergency Medicine
• 出版年：January, 2014
• 年：2014
• 卷：46
• 期：1
• 页码：113-119
• 全文大小：139 K

文摘

Background

Visitors may play a significant role in patient care by interceding on patients' behalf and advocating proper care.

Study Objectives

The objectives of this study were to determine the percentage of emergency department (ED) patients with visitors, whether this varied by gender or race, and to compare patient and visitor perspectives on the role and importance of visitors.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was done in a 46,035 adult-visit, urban ED during a consecutive 96-h period. A 鈥渧isitor鈥?was defined as any non-health-care provider present in a patient's room. Perspectives of visitors' role were assessed in five domains: transportation, emotional support, physical care, communication, and advocacy.

Results

Forty-two percent of patients had at least one visitor during their ED stay. Visitor presence was unaffected by patients' age, gender, or triage score; however, 57% of white patients had at least one visitor during their stay, compared to 39% for non-Whites (p聽=聽0.02). When patients had one or more visitors, gender and triage score did not influence the number of visitors; however, older patients and nonwhite patients had greater numbers of visitors (age聽鈮ヂ?0聽years, 1.5聽卤聽0.8 vs. age < 40, 1.2聽卤聽0.6 visitors/patient; p聽=聽0.03 and nonwhite patients, 1.4聽卤聽0.7 vs. white patients, 1.1聽卤聽0.3 visitors/patient; p聽=聽0.03). Seventy-eight percent of patients felt that visitors were important to their care.

Conclusions

Visitors represent a valuable resource for patients, and methods of partnering with visitors to improve outcomes merit further work.