Comparison of Satisfaction Levels between COVID-19 and Non-COVID-19 Patients in the Emergency Department

Abstract

Background: Patient satisfaction in the emergency department is an indicator of the quality of healthcare service provided. The increased workload and stress of healthcare workers due to the ongoing pandemic can affect the quality of patient care and thus patient satisfaction. This study compares the satisfaction levels of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients in the emergency department. Tools and Methods: In this prospective, observational survey study, the brief emergency patient satisfaction scale (BEPSS) was used to establish the satisfaction levels of patients. Results: Satisfaction levels were significantly higher, while waiting times were quite shorter for COVID-19 patients than for non-COVID-19 patients. The triage categories had no effect on the satisfaction of non-COVID-19 patients, while satisfaction levels were significantly lower in patients with green triage tags than in those with yellow and red triage tags among the COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: The satisfaction levels of COVID-19 patients were higher than those of non-COVID-19 patients. The short waiting times for COVID-19 patients in the emergency department have a significant impact on patient satisfaction.

Keywords

• covid-19
• patient satisfaction
• emergency department
• health care quality
• covid-19
• hasta memnuniyeti
• acil servis
• sağlık hizmeti kalitesi