Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Services

Advisor

Lee Bewley

Abstract

AbstractPatients leaving an emergency department (ED) without being seen by a provider are a significant problem in United States for patient health. Research on leaving without being seen (LWBS) has been conducted; but very few researchers have examined patients with Tricare or military members. This quantitative study explored the association between patients’ social demographic characteristics (age, gender, race, ethnicity), triage levels, visit characteristics (hour of arrival, day of the arrival), and LWBS rates. The theoretical framework for this study was the Donabedian theory. Secondary data from Agency for Healthcare Administration located in Florida were examined. The research questions explored whether age, gender, race, ethnicity, triage levels, patients’ hour of arrival, and patients’ day of the arrival predict the LWBS. The result of the logistic regression analysis showed that there was statistically significant association between patients’ age, patients’ hour of arrival, patients’ day of the arrival, and LWBS rate. Results from the logistic regression analysis revealed that gender and racial/ethnic background did not predict the likelihood of LWBS. The findings of this study could help create positive social change by equipping healthcare facilities and health care providers to understand the impact of patients’ demographic, hour of arrival, and day of the arrival in the emergent care setting on the patient experience and the impact on patient health outcomes. Hospital administrators can use the study results to improve their knowledge about managing patient flow and handling hospital overcrowding. This information might be instrumental in creating healthcare policies and the improvement of the delivery of healthcare services across the patient population.

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