Healthcare Providers’ Perspectives on Patient–Healthcare Worker Communication in the Emergency Department: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Effective communication between healthcare providers (HCPs) and patients is fundamental to quality emergency care. However, emergency department (ED) settings pose particular challenges due to time constraints, high patient volumes, and linguistic and cultural diversity. This study aimed to assess how physicians and nurses experience these communication barriers in a Saudi Arabian tertiary hospital ED and to identify factors associated with perceived communication difficulty. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey was executed at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November to December 2024. A convenience sample of ED physicians and nurses was invited to complete a structured, self-administered questionnaire assessing communication barriers, empathy behaviors, and discharge practices. Data were analyzed using chi-square and Fisher's exact tests for categorical variables, and Mann-Whitney U tests for ordinal variables. Statistical significance was set at p