Barriers to patient care in southwestern Ontario rural emergency departments: physician perceptions.

INTRODUCTION We sought to determine the perceptions of physicians staffing rural emergency departments (EDs) in southwestern Ontario with respect to factors affecting patient care in the domains of physical resources, available support and education. METHODS A confidential 30-item survey was distributed through ED chiefs to physicians working in rural EDs in southwestern Ontario. Using a 5-point Likert scale, physicians were asked to rate their perception of factors that affect patient care in their ED. Demographic and practice characteristics were collected to accurately represent the participating centres and physicians. RESULTS Twenty-seven of the 164 surveys distributed were completed (16% response rate). Responses were received from 13 (81.3%) of the 16 surveyed EDs. Most of the respondents (78%) held CCFP (Certificant of the College of Family Physicians) credentials, with no additional emergency medicine training. Crowding from inpatient boarding, and inadequate physician staffing or coverage in EDs were identified as having a negative impact on patient care. Information sharing within the hospital, access to emergent laboratory studies and physician access to medications in the ED were identified as having the greatest positive impact on patient care. Respondents viewed all questions in the domain of education as either positive or neutral. CONCLUSION Our survey results reveal that physicians practising emergency medicine in southwestern Ontario perceive crowding as the greatest barrier to providing patient care. Conversely, the survey identified that rural ED physicians perceive information sharing within the hospital, the availability of emergent laboratory studies and access to medications within the ED as having a strongly positive impact on patient care. Interestingly, our findings suggest that physicians in rural EDs view their access to education as adequate, as responses were either positive or neutral in regard to access to training and ability to maintain relevant skills.