Investigation on the opinions of health care users about the availability of an electronic application for hospitals' emergency departments.

Introduction: Emergency Departments (EDs) are critical hubs in the healthcare system that function with limited resources. This increases the length of stay in emergency departments while decreasing patient satisfaction. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate health care consumers' perceptions of the presence of an electronic application that would give information on waiting times in emergency departments, available medical specialisations by hospital, and emergency case guidance. Material and Method: The study's sample was made up of people who used health services in the Attica region, regardless of their age or gender. Following a review of the literature and relevant studies, a customised questionnaire was developed for the purpose of collecting research data. The statistical programme SPSS 26.0 was used to conduct the analysis. Results: The sample consists of 121 subjects with a mean age of 41 years (SD=12.7 years). 83.5% of the participants believed that such an application would improve the efficiency of TEPs. The waiting time in the TEPs until the final examination by the respective medical specialty is independently related to the satisfaction score of the participants. More specifically, longer waiting time for examination was associated with significantly less satisfaction. The age of health service users is related to the necessity of having an electronic application. In particular, the older the participants were, the less likely they were to think that there were other benefits besides reducing waiting time from such an application. Conclusions: The adoption of new technology in the EDs offers considerable benefits, including reduced wait times and better service to users of health services, while also serving as a milestone for their modernization.

Keywords: EDs, electronic application, waiting time