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Study: ER wait times, patient satisfaction rates rise

Quality Improvement Monitor, June 29, 2007

The average ER patient wait in the United States lasts four hours, up 18 minutes from last year in every state except Hawaii, according to a new report by Press Ganey titled Emergency Department Pulse Report: Patient Perspectives on American Health Care.

Nonetheless, the report found that patient satisfaction in the ER rose, although communication remained a patient priority.

The study looked at the experiences of more than 1.5 million patients treated in the ERs of more than 1,500 acute care hospitals across the country in 2006. Key findings in the report include:

  • The average time spent in the ER increases by 30 minutes for every additional 10,000 patients seen annually.
  • Notable state-by-state variations in the average time a patient spends in the ER, ranging from a low of 158 minutes to a high of 381 minutes.
  • Patient satisfaction was lowest during the evening shift, 3-11 p.m., and highest during the day, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Patient satisfaction drops significantly based on amount of time spent in the ER.

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