Patient satisfaction in the emergency department and the use of business cards by physicians.

BACKGROUND: Emergency departments (EDs) across the country become increasingly crowded. Methods to improve patient satisfaction are becoming increasingly important.
OBJECTIVE: To determine if the use of business cards by emergency physicians improves patient satisfaction.
METHODS: A prospective, convenience sample of ED patients were surveyed in a tertiary care, suburban teaching hospital. Inclusion criteria were limited to an understanding of written and spoken English. Excluded patients included those with altered mental status or too ill to complete a survey. Patients were assigned to receive a business card on alternate days in the ED from the treating physician(s) during their patient introductions. The business cards listed the physician's name and position (resident or attending physician) and the institution name and phone number. Before hospital admission or discharge, a research assistant asked patients to complete a questionnaire regarding their ED visit to determine patient satisfaction.
RESULTS: Three hundred-twenty patients were approached to complete the questionnaire and 259 patients (81%) completed it. Patient demographics were similar in both the business card and non-business-card groups. There were no statistically significant differences for patient responses to any of the study questions whether or not they received a business card during the physician introduction.
CONCLUSION: The use of business cards during physician introduction in the ED does not improve patient satisfaction. Copyright Â