title: Powerlessness: Dissatisfied patients' and relatives' experience of their emergency department visit.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to disclose the meaning of patients and relatives lived experience of dissatisfaction when visiting an emergency department.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Even though most patients are pleased with the emergency department care, there are areas that dissatisfy them, for example lack of communication and unoccupied wait time. However, there are few studies that describe both patients and relatives experience of dissatisfaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  This explorative study uses a phenomenological hermeneutic approach where patients and relatives were interviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients and relatives meaning of dissatisfaction mainly contain powerlessness, struggling for control over the situation, lacking knowledge and information, receiving and providing support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results showed that the experiences of dissatisfaction were similar among patients and relatives. They suffer in the same way when being treated like objects during their visits. Nursing rounds are one way to decrease dissatisfaction by making patients and relatives participating in the care continually updated with information.
authors.affiliation: Center for Acute & Critical Care, Department of Health and Caring Science, Linnæus University, Georg Lückligs väg 8, S-351 95 Växjö, Sweden. Electronic address: e_forsgarde@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Elin-Sofie
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Forsgärde
authors.affiliation: Center for Acute & Critical Care, Department of Health and Caring Science, Linnæus University, Georg Lückligs väg 8, S-351 95 Växjö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: From Attebring
authors.affiliation: Center for Acute & Critical Care, Department of Health and Caring Science, Linnæus University, Georg Lückligs väg 8, S-351 95 Växjö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Carina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Elmqvist
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011368:Professional-Family Relations
keywords: Emergency department; Nursing; Patient; Phenomenological hermeneutic; Relative; Satisfaction