Improving Patients' Experiences Communicating With Nurses and Providers in the Emergency Department

As health care becomes increasingly patient centered, organizations strive to improve patients' ratings of satisfaction with care. Communication with nurses and providers drives overall satisfaction, yet little evidence exists to guide them in ensuring effective communication in the emergency department.

A semistructured interview guide based on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers survey was used to elicit qualitative data from 30 patients seen in the emergency department and fast track regarding communication with nurses and providers. Data were analyzed using content analysis methodology.

Two types of overarching themes emerged. Foundational themes include behaviors that convey courtesy and respect and are required for participants to view their interactions with nurses and providers as positive. Interactive themes describe humanistic ways in which nurses and providers conveyed courtesy and respect, reassurance through careful listening, attentiveness, and explaining things in an understandable way.

The findings underscore existing evidence regarding patients' perceptions of being treated with courtesy and respect via nurses' and providers' use of positive verbal phrasing and nonverbal body language. They reveal new insights into the importance of specific communication behaviors used by nurses and providers during interactions. Treating patients as individuals amidst a fast-paced care environment, proactively recognizing and responding to patients' fears and concerns, and explaining information clearly to ensure understanding were critical.