Grab a Seat! Nudging Providers to Sit Improves the Patient Experience in the Emergency Department.
Publication/Presentation Date
6-1-2019
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We assessed whether provider sitting influenced patient satisfaction in an academic emergency department (ED) and if education and/or environmental manipulation could nudge providers to sit.
METHODS: This was a prospective, controlled pre-post trial of provider sitting and its influence on patient satisfaction within 2 urban, academic EDs. A 12-item survey was administered to a convenience sample of patients to assess for care satisfaction before, during, and after study interventions. Study interventions included (a) placement of branded folding seats and (b) an educational campaign. Only the intervention ED received folding seats. The primary outcome examined the influence of provider sitting on patient satisfaction. A secondary outcome examined the frequency of provider sitting.
RESULTS: During the entire study period, 2827 patients were surveyed; 63% were female and 65% were between the ages of 26 and 65. Sitting at any point during an ED encounter improved responses to satisfaction questions (polite [67% vs 59%], cared [64% vs 54%], listened [60% vs 52%], informed [57% vs 47%], time [56% vs 45%],
CONCLUSIONS: Placing a seat in a patient's room nudges providers to sit during an ED encounter. Education alone did not influence provider behavior. Sitting down resulted in significantly higher patient satisfaction scores during an ED visit.
Volume
6
Issue
2
First Page
110
Last Page
116
ISSN
2374-3735
Published In/Presented At
Orloski, C. J., Tabakin, E. R., Shofer, F. S., Myers, J. S., & Mills, A. M. (2019). Grab a Seat! Nudging Providers to Sit Improves the Patient Experience in the Emergency Department. Journal of patient experience, 6(2), 110–116. https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373518778862
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
31218256
Department(s)
Department of Emergency Medicine
Document Type
Article