Prehospital emergency services: expectations of patients and companions

Prehospital emergency care is a vital pillar of the health system and serves as the first point of contact for patients. It plays an important role in providing timely care to emergency patients. The expectations of patients and their companions from these services, especially in critical situations, have the capacity to exert a significant influence on their experience and the quality of services. The aim of this study is to identify and investigate the needs and expectations of patients and their companions regarding prehospital emergency services. In this descriptive-cross-sectional study, 1100 patients and their companions were selected. The collection of data was facilitated by means of a questionnaire on expectations of pre-hospital emergency services, which was administered via telephone interviews following the determination of validity and reliability. The collected data were then analyzed using SPSS21 statistical software, and the results were interpreted through the use of descriptive and inferential statistics. In this study, the average score of interviewees’ expectations was high (80.01 ± 8.9) and the level of expectations was reported to be higher in women than in men. The results showed that the highest expectations of patients and their companions were related to the presence of a doctor in the ambulance, sufficient skills of medical personnel, respectful treatment combined with gaining trust and providing rapid emergency services. A significant relationship was observed between expectations and marital status, age, occupation and level of education (P < 0.001). The conclusion drawn from this study indicates that patients and their companions, particularly female members, hold elevated expectations of pre-hospital emergency services. The findings of this study indicate that patients and their companions, especially women, have elevated expectations of pre-hospital emergency services. These expectations encompass the presence of a medical professional in the ambulance, competent staff, respectful treatment, and expeditious service delivery. A notable correlation was identified between these expectations and socio-economic variables. These results underscore the importance of addressing patients’ needs and expectations to enhance the quality of emergency services. Specifically, enhancing staff skills and improving service delivery processes have the potential to increase patient and companion satisfaction.