Displaying emergency patient estimated wait times: a multi-centre, qualitative study of patient, community, paramedic and health administrator perspectives

Background Emergency Departments have the potential ability to predict patient wait times and to display this to patients and other stakeholders. Little is known about whether consumers and stakeholders would want this information and how wait time predictions might be used. The aim of this study was to gain perspectives from consumer, referrer and health services personnel regarding the concept of emergency wait time visibility. Methods In 2019, 103 semi-structured interviews and one focus group were conducted with emergency medicine patients/families, paramedics, well community members and hospital/paramedic administrators. Nine emergency departments and multiple organisations in Victoria, Australia, contributed data. Transcripts were coded and themes are presented. Results Consumers and paramedics face physical and psychological difficulties when wait times are not visible. Consumers believe about a 2-hour wait is tolerable, beyond this most begin to consider alternative strategies for seeking care. Consumers want to see triage to doctor times; paramedics want door to off-stretcher times (for all possible transport destinations); with 47/50 consumers and 30/31 paramedics potentially using this information. Twenty-eight of 50 consumers would use times to inform facility or provider choice, 19/50 want information once in the waiting room. During prolonged waits, 1/52 consumers would consider not seeking care. Visibility of approximate waits would better inform decision-making, improve load-spreading, allow planning and access to basic needs and might reduce anxiety. Conclusions Consumers and paramedics want wait time information visibility. They would use the information in a variety of ways, both pre-hospital and whilst waiting for care.