title: A comprehensive view of parental satisfaction with pediatric emergency department visits.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We develop a comprehensive view of aspects of care associated with parental satisfaction with pediatric emergency department (ED) visits, using both quantitative and qualitative data.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective observational study using data from an institution-wide system to measure patient satisfaction. For this study, 2,442 parents who brought their child to the ED were interviewed with telephone survey methods. The survey included closed-ended (quantitative) and open-ended (qualitative data) questions, in addition to a cognitive interview-style question.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall parental satisfaction was best predicted by how well physicians and nurses work together, followed by wait time and pain management. Issues concerning timeliness of care, perceived quality of medical care, and communication were raised repeatedly by parents in response to open-ended questions. A cognitive interview-style question showed that physicians and nurses sharing information with each other, parents receiving consistent and detailed explanations of their child's diagnosis and treatments, and not having to answer the same question repeatedly informed parent perceptions of physicians and nurses working well together. Staff showing courtesy and respect through compassion and caring words and behaviors and paying attention to nonmedical needs are other potential satisfiers with emergency care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using qualitative data to augment and clarify quantitative data from patient experience of care surveys is essential to obtaining a complete picture of aspects of emergency care important to parents and can help inform quality improvement work aimed at improving satisfaction with care.
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH. Electronic address: terri.byczkowski@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Terri L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Byczkowski
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kennebeck
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vaughn
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kachelmeyer
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Timm
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D059408:Pain Management / Q000592:standards; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000592:standards; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014850:Waiting Lists