What can nurses learn from patient feedback in the ED?

Patient feedback on emergency department services can be used by nurses to improve patient-centred care, but be aware of the possibility of compassion fatigue

• Poor experiences of care will often stem from poor communication with patients and nurses losing sight of a patient-centred approach
• It is important not to view patient feedback as negative or punitive but instead use it to continually improve care and drive changes to services
• The new Patient Safety Investigation Response Framework wil be used to report critical incidents and will include patients’ views from the outset

Ever-increasing stresses placed on emergency departments (EDs) can make it hard for nurses to dedicate the time and attention to each patient