Understanding patient experience in the emergency room using multiple methods

Abstract

This paper discusses a multi-method approach of gathering data in order to understand how variables within a high stress environment, such as a hospital emergency room, can affect user experience. The challenges facing emergency departments in Alberta can be summarized as a lack of understanding of what happens in an emergency room, inadequate communication between staff and the public, and challenges with the physical design of these departments. Through this study we were able to understand the patient experience and to identify gaps in service, gain insights into issues that are negatively impacting patients and suggests artefacts and processes in order to better deliver patient care.

Keywords:

• Design for emergency
• information design
• human factors
• signage and wayfinding
• visual communication
• design
• mapping

Acknowledgements

The authors would also like to thank Dr. Eddy Lang, Academic Department Head for the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, and the Clinical Department Head for Emergency Medicine, Calgary Zone, Alberta Health Services as well as the Alberta Health Services Patient and Family Advisory Group for their support and participation in this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gillian Harvey

Gillian Harvey is an assistant professor in Design Studies at the University of Alberta, Canada, where she teaches undergraduate students design theory, practice, and research. Harvey’s research and practice include evidence-based information design principles and practices. She prioritizes the simplification of complex information in order to make it understandable for people. She advocates for understanding different audiences and the importance of user-centred design. Harvey’s recent work is in the development of communication materials that assist with health research, in particular how information design theories and practice can be applied to health care scenarios especially in underrepresented populations and for social good. She has worked with government, industry and the private sector developing materials that include projects that address systems concerns, and enhance broader healthcare processes.

Katherine Bubric

Katherine Bubric is a Human Factors Specialist at Alberta Health Services, Alberta, Canada, where she works to improve patient safety by mitigating human error in the healthcare system. Katherine’s work utilizes a number of methods such as usability testing, heuristic evaluation, task analysis, observation, and mock ups. Her project work includes the evaluation and improvement of the design of spaces, medication storage and labelling, forms and signage, electronic health records, and medical devices.

Stephanie VandenBerg

Stephanie VandenBerg is an emergency physician in the Calgary Zone, Research Director for the Department of Emergency Medicine and Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. She received her MD from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Science in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK. Dr. VandenBerg uses a ‘research as advocacy’ framework to engage discussions on health, harm reduction, and ways to improve vulnerable populations' health outcomes through novel approaches using principles of community based research practice and information design/visualization.

Heather Hair

Heather Hair is the Director of Emergency Services Network for Interior Health Authority in British Columbia. Heather’s background includes 25 plus years working frontline and administratively in rural, regional and urban emergency departments across 3 provinces. Additionally, Heather moved into the private sector for 10 years leading and implementing marketing strategies across Canada for a Fortune 500 company. This experience was brought back to the public sector with a strong passion to improve patient experience in the emergency departments leveraging the voice of the patient at the centre of her work. Taking complex information and designing it in plain language to improving communication is very important to the public she serves.