Wait Time Communication in the Emergency Department

One of the most powerful techniques to improve and sustain an emergency department experience that drives patient loyalty is implementing ways to keep patients informed throughout their stay. When patients hold our Emergency Departments accountable for the quality of the patient experience through the ED Survey or ED CAHPS Survey, we often see several questions emerge as drivers of the care experience, related to patients’ perceptions of coordination of care and services in the ED and how well patients and their loved ones were communicated with and kept informed throughout key transition stages of their visit.