RESEARCH|Wellness
PATIENTEXPERIENCESIN EMERGENCYPATIENT EXPERIENCESIN EMERGENCY
A research paper that examines four pressure points in Emergency Departments - children and adolescents, older people, behavioural health and patient stress with wayfinding - to inform person-centred, safer and more efficient environments.
Insight
Emergency Departments are experiencing record demand while patient and staff experiences remain under pressure. In NSW, almost 700,000 presentations were recorded in the last quarter of 2016, an increase of almost 40 percent year-on-year. The paper argues that design can mitigate stress, improve flow and support person-centred care without compromising clinical performance.
Key take-aways
Make children and adolescents feel safe and engaged
Secure, clearly supervised arrivals, space for families, positive distraction and age-appropriate play reduce anxiety and improve experiences. Evidence-based moves include acoustic control, privacy options and access to nature.
Design for older people from triage to discharge
Streaming models and short-stay units such as HOPE, OPERA and ESSU at Westmead improve flow and outcomes. Specialist senior EDs overseas demonstrate benefits from privacy, lighting, acoustics and staff training tailored to older adults.
Provide therapeutic settings for behavioural health
Integrated models use PECC units or Safe Assessment Rooms with calming, non-institutional character and robust detailing to reduce risk and support de-escalation. Accurate triage and specialist staffing are essential.
Reduce stress and aggression with guidance and people programs
Simple, consistent information design helps patients understand where they are in the journey. The Design Council’s “A Better A&E” paired wayfinding, live wait-time displays and patient leaflets with staff capability initiatives, delivering monetised benefits that outweighed costs three to one.
AT A GLANCE
Purpose: show how evidence-informed design strategies can improve patient experience and safety in emergency care.
Results and implications
Children and adolescents
Targeted arrival design, family capacity and stimulating, age-appropriate distraction correlate with improved satisfaction.
Older people
Specialist streaming and short-stay models reduce access block and length of stay, while senior-friendly environments improve comfort and safety.
Behavioural health
PECC and SAR models, integrated staffing and therapeutic design reduce escalation risk in constrained ED settings.
Patient stress and wayfinding
A four-stage journey framework - arrival, wait, treatment and outcome - plus coordinated guidance and staff programs reduce hostility and improve satisfaction.
The conclusion calls for networked, flexible EDs that place human experience at the centre while accommodating growing demand and new clinical technologies.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL PAPER
Get the complete publication including the four case studies, evidence summaries and implementation references.
