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Volume 2024, Issue 7
  • ISSN: 1999-7086
  • EISSN: 1999-7094

Abstract

Patient-centered care is a foundation for high-quality healthcare delivery and is recognized by the Institute of Medicine as one of the six key elements of healthcare quality. It is fundamental to improving health outcomes, patient satisfaction, and overall healthcare system performance. In contemporary healthcare, we are encouraged to optimize our practices and deliver patient-centered care by actively seeking and analyzing patient feedback. This study explored patients’ decision to refuse transportation to a medical facility after receiving on-scene pre-hospital emergency treatment.

A qualitative analysis approach was applied using semi-structured telephone interviews with 210 patients who had requested Hamad Medical Corporation Ambulance Service pre-hospital emergency care from June 15 to August 1, 2023 and decided not to proceed with hospital conveyance. A thematic analysis with inductive coding of the open-ended feedback was performed using Nvivo® software version 12.

Data saturation was achieved with 32 responses. The thematic analysis revealed five critical themes: “”, which primarily focused on acute medical needs and the absence of alternative healthcare solutions; “”, which included family obligations and previous unsatisfactory encounters at the hospital; “”, which disclosed that most respondents remained at home after the intervention, while a minority sought further medical consultation through alternative means; “”, which was predominantly positive; and “”, which highlighted specific challenges during the emergency call-taking process.

The study provided an understanding of the factors influencing patient decision-making in emergency medical contexts. It advocated targeted quality improvement interventions such as gender-responsive services and linguistic inclusivity. These findings highlighted the need for an integrative, patient-centered model that is attuned to the cultural and linguistic intricacies, thereby informing policy and practice to increase the efficacy of emergency medical services in Qatar.

© 2024 Farhat, Alinier, Chakif, Tluli, Rekik, Alcantara, et al., licensee HBKU Press.
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2024-10-30
2024-11-05
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/content/journals/10.5339/jemtac.2024.31
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Patient-centric perspectives on non-conveyance decisions following pre-hospital emergency calls: A qualitative study
Journal of Emergency Medicine, Trauma and Acute Care 2024, 31 (2024); https://doi.org/10.5339/jemtac.2024.31
/content/journals/10.5339/jemtac.2024.31
/content/journals/10.5339/jemtac.2024.31
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): emergency medical services, hospital conveyance, language barriers, patient-centered care and service satisfaction

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