Emergency department patient experience: Same location, same provider, different scores by different survey methods

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Patient Experience Measurement
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• Low response rates in emergency department (ED) patient experience surveys raise concerns about data quality and reliability.
• Assessing the consistency of ED patient experience survey reports is crucial for accurate quality assessment.
• Understanding how patient demographics influence reported experiences is vital for interpreting survey data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the consistency between an institutional version (IS) survey and a commercial survey (Press Ganey Associates - PGA) for ED patient experiences.
• To identify the impact of patient demographics on ED patient experience scores.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in a university-based ED from July to December 2017.
• ED patient experience scores were collected using both an institutional survey (IS) and the Press Ganey Associates (PGA) survey.
• Top box scores were compared using frequency analysis, and multivariable logistic regressions identified demographic associations with scores.

Main Results:

• A total of 289 PGA and 234 IS responses were obtained.
• The IS reported significantly higher top box scores for doctor-specific questions compared to the PGA survey (P < 0.01).
• Female, Christian, and White patients were more likely to provide top box scores (ORs ranging from 2.22 to 3.07, P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Significant discrepancies exist in ED patient experience scores between the institutional and commercial surveys.
• Healthcare providers should consider patient demographic variables when interpreting ED experience reports.
• Employing diverse survey techniques and distribution methods may improve the capture of ED patient experiences.