Building a Dataset for Emergency Care by Identifying Consumer‐Informed Quality Indicators: An Analysis of Focus Group Discussions

OBJECTIVE: To develop a clearer understanding of what 'quality in emergency care' means from the perspective of patients and families to assist with the development of consumer-informed measures of quality for emergency care in an Australian setting. METHODS: Qualitative analysis of transcripts from three semi-structured focus groups, with 24 participants recruited using purposive sampling from a pre-existing consumer expert Safer Care Victoria (SCV) panel. The focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed and de-identified. Thematic analysis was performed using NVivo software. RESULTS: Six major themes were identified: Staff-patient interactions, Provision of information, Time spent in the ED, Emotional experience, Needs of specific groups and Perception of the emergency care system. Patient and carer experiences of accessing emergency care are highly influenced by the nature of their interactions with staff and the ease and accessibility of information exchange. Prolonged ED wait times are a negative experience; however, this can be improved with attention to symptom management, comfort and privacy. The needs of priority patient groups (e.g., patients with disabilities or people of older age) may be frequently overlooked in ED settings. Participants in this study reported that many of the negative aspects of emergency care they experienced may be attributed to the system being overburdened/staff having insufficient time. CONCLUSIONS: Consumer-informed measures of quality in emergency care should address staff-patient interactions, emotional experience, information provision, time spent in the ED and be sensitive to the needs of priority groups.