The satisfaction profile of emergency care patients guides strategies for improving quality of pre-hospital and in-hospital care. Aim: Display resources and hospital bed utilization pattern 2009-2013 in Cairo University Hospital –Emergency Department, tracking pre-hospital events and delineate the perspectives of patients towards hospital services.
Methods: Setting: the study was conducted in. Design Cairo University Hospital –Emergency Department sampling: cross-sectional study that recruited 208 patients discharged from CUH-ED in year 2013. Data sources: the accessible service statistics of CUH-ED 2009 - 2013, and structured interview guide for recoding patient's data. Data analysis tested the association of pre-hospital and in-hospital care with overall patient satisfaction at time of discharge from CUH-ED.
Results:In CUH-ED 2013,nurse: bed ratio was 1: 7.6 per shift; bed occupancy rate 84% and average length of hospital stay was 4 days and in-hospital mortality 1.2%. There were insignificant difference between satisfied and unsatisfied patients by socio-demographic background, and configuration of pre-hospital events and condition at discharge (improved/deteriorated). Satisfaction from physician performance was detected in 76.3% of patients, while satisfaction from nurse performance was elicited in 51.8%. About 69.7% of patients expressed their satisfaction from patient-provider communication (p> 0.001 OR =205 CI= 27 – 1560).
Conclusion: Patient-provider communication in CUH-ED is appreciated by patients to be a key for quality services for in-hospital emergency care.