title: Hallway Patients Reduce Overall Emergency Department Satisfaction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patient satisfaction impacts emergency medicine in multiple ways, including patient-physician rapport, patient compliance with medical recommendations, and individual physician and hospital reimbursement issues.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to assess the differences, if any, in satisfaction scores among patients treated in regular treatment rooms vs. those treated in hallway treatment areas.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey study of conveniently sampled participants from both regular treatment rooms and hallway treatment areas in an urban, adult community teaching emergency department (ED) was performed confidentially, measuring overall satisfaction, as well as satisfaction with regard to treatment location only, medical care only, and their willingness to return to or recommend the ED in the future based on their experience. Each of these four outcomes was measured on a 100-mm visual analog scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall satisfaction scores were 8 mm lower for those patients treated in hallway treatment areas, and there was a 20-mm difference with regard to location only. After controlling for apparent baseline differences between the groups, a 7.6-mm difference for overall satisfaction remained.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite differences between patients placed in regular treatment rooms vs. hallway treatment areas, overall satisfaction levels are lower for those patients treated in hallway treatment areas. This difference is likely attributable primarily to their hallway location, and stakeholders should therefore take appropriate steps to address such discrepancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Summa Akron City Hospital, Akron, Ohio and Department of Emergency Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, Ohio.
authors.forename: Kirk A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Stiffler
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Summa Akron City Hospital, Akron, Ohio and Department of Emergency Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, Ohio.
authors.forename: Scott T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Wilber
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003441:Crowding; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009820:Ohio; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010362:Patients' Rooms; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ED administration; crowding; hallways; satisfaction