Anxiety of patients in the waiting room of the emergency department

This study aims at understanding the patient’s experience in the waiting room of the emergency department. The research explores and unveils the context and interactions in the waiting room and the factors that cause anxiety. As a result, a service that helps patients moderate anxiety has been developed. For the research, 12 patients and their family members were observed, and an interview with the head of the department was conducted. These methods were used to answer the following research questions: How do people experience the waiting room in the emergency department? How can the negative aspects be relieved? The main findings of this study reveal distrust between the patients and staff of the hospital, the patients’ consistent focus on their status, and an uncertainty about the waiting time. The focus of this study is on alleviating these negative aspects by enabling patients to acquire sufficient information about the procedure and the waiting time. ACM Classification Keywor...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: TEI
• Authors: JungKyoon Yoon, Marieke Sonneveld
• Keywords: Emergency Department, Hardware, Patients Moderate Anxiety, TEI 2010, Waiting Room