Following the Patient Journey: Older Persons' Experiences of Emergency Departments and Discharge

There has been little research to date which focuses on patients' experience of emergency department (ED) care, and transfer to in-patient treatment. This is an essential perspective to identify as it has the potential to impact on future planning and service development. This study was designed to examine the experience of the older patient (aged 80 years or over) admitted to an in-patient bed via the ED of a major tertiary level teaching hospital. Patients who were admitted to a medical ward over a four month period were followed by means of an internal audit process, and a sample of patients were asked to consent to an in-hospital face to face interview and a telephone interview following discharge. Findings suggest that patients in this age group were reluctant to criticise any of the hospital processes and in general expressed satisfaction with their time spent in-hospital. Descriptive statistics around admission timing and procedures were obtained, together with work load and acuity indicators. Potential barriers to seamless care were identified.