Evaluation and recommendations from a study of a critical-care waiting room.
The intensive care unit (ICU) waiting room is a dynamic place that influences the satisfaction of families of critically ill patients. Waiting-room comfort and amenities are important, because families often spend a great deal of nonvisiting time there. A quality improvement evaluation of the ICU waiting room at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA, was conducted. Methods included distribution of an 18-item family survey, ethnographic observations, interviews, and assessment of the physical environment. Findings suggest that the role of the receptionist and access to food and other services were important to families and influenced their assessment of the quality of services provided by the ICU.
Deitrick
Lynn
L
Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA, USA. lynn.deitrick@lvh.com
Ray
Daniel
D
Stern
Glenn
G
Fuhrman
Cathy
C
Masiado
Tamara
T
Yaich
Sandra L
SL
Wasser
Thomas
T
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003625:Data Collection; D004779:Environment Design; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D006272:Health Facility Environment; D006749:Hospital Design and Construction; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010414:Pennsylvania; D014789:Visitors to Patients