What Factors Could Create a More Comfortable Waiting Experience for Patients on Emergency Department Ramps? A Scoping...

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Healthcare Facility Design
• Patient Experience Research

Background:

• Ambulance ramping, or emergency department (ED) queuing, is a persistent healthcare challenge.
• Existing facility guidelines lack specific requirements for patient-centered care in ramp environments.
• There is a need to understand environmental factors influencing patient experience during ambulance ramping.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify research on waiting environment characteristics that enhance consumer experience.
• To assess the transferability of these characteristics to the ambulance ramp environment.
• To inform future healthcare facility planning for improved patient care during ED queues.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review systematically searched five electronic databases, reference chains, and grey literature.
• The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool assessed the levels of evidence.
• Fifty-nine papers were included, with inter-rater assessment for translatability to the ramp environment.

Main Results:

• No studies specifically addressed the spatial layout of ED ramp environments and patient experience.
• Key environmental elements identified include privacy, natural views, staff proximity, communication, physical aspects, hospitality, furniture, and temperature.
• These elements were categorized into psychological, self-efficacy, social, and functional domains.

Conclusions:

• Environmental elements can be identified to support person-centered care for patients experiencing ambulance ramping.
• Findings provide insights for future healthcare facility design and planning to mitigate negative impacts of ED queuing.
• Further research is needed on the direct application of these elements within the specific context of ambulance ramping.