When should waiting time become a quality of care issue in the paediatric emergency department?
D McGillivray In emergency department (ED) patient satisfaction surveys, waiting time is one of the most frequently mentioned concerns of patients and parents. In almost all studies it ranks above any concerns with actual treatment received or problems with staff communication (1). The waiting time is especially of concern for those patients who have less urgent or nonurgent problems and it is evident that the expectation of the public is that all care in an ED should be provided rapidly. At the same time, studies have shown that the perception of waiting times by parents and patients are often longer than the reality (2,3).
