Paediatric emergency department design: Does it affect staff, patient and community satisfaction?

To assess the change in perception of the standard of paediatric care following the opening of a dedicated paediatric emergency area in an established tertiary hospital emergency department on patients and families, hospital staff and the general practitioners of the local community.

A questionnaire was circulated to the relevant parties prior to and 6 months after the opening of the paediatric department. The surveys were circulated to the families/custodians of the paediatric attendees, general practitioners who refer paediatric patients and the medical and nursing staff both within the emergency department and the inpatient paediatric ward. The questions related to the physical environment, perceived level of care and the overall satisfaction with treatment.

The most striking change was in the patient family group who showed an increase in their level of satisfaction with the physical environment and their overall care. The general practitioner group showed only a slight improvement, while the inpatient staff showed no notable changes. The emergency department staff developed a higher level of confidence and satisfaction when dealing with this population group.

The change in the physical environment in which we treat our paediatric emergencies seemed to enhance the level of satisfaction of our attendees. Staff appear to be more confident when dealing with these patients in a dedicated paediatric area. The effect has not yet flowed on to the inpatient staff and general practitioners, perhaps reflecting a small exposure of these individuals to the survey subject matter.