Impact of volunteers in the emergency department

Fundamental aspects of patient experience have been reported as substandard in emergency departments. Hospital volunteers can improve the patient experience in inpatient settings. However, evidence is limited on their impact in emergency departments.

To determine whether emergency department volunteers could enhance patient experience through assisting with the psychological aspect of patient care and patients' nutritional needs.

Patients attending an emergency department responded to a questionnaire as part of a cross-sectional study. Comparisons were made between when the volunteer scheme was running and when there were no volunteers. Outcomes included patient experience of emotional support from staff and access to food and drink.

Patients present when the volunteer scheme was running reported obtaining food and drink more often (96/124 vs 20/39, % rate difference 26, 95% CI 10-42, P=0.002) and that a member of staff offered them something to eat and drink more frequently (96/146 vs 19/52, % rate difference 29, 95% CI 14-45, P<0.001). There was no difference between patient responses when the volunteer scheme was running and not for emotional support from staff (49/68 vs 14/21, % rate difference 5, 95% CI -17-28, P=0.63).

Hospital volunteers made a substantial contribution to providing food and drink to patients in the emergency department. Emotional support from volunteers was limited.