Investigating the expected and perceived service quality of the elderly referring to the hospital emergency department: A multi-center cross-sectional study from northern Iran

Emergency departments play a critical role in delivering healthcare services to elderly patients. However, limited data exists regarding the quality of services expected and perceived by this vulnerable population when accessing emergency care. The purpose of the current study is to determine the expected and perceived service quality of the elderly who refer to the hospital emergency room. This is a descriptive-cross-sectional study. 285 elderly people referred to the emergency department of hospitals affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences participated in the study. Data were collected using demographic and service quality questionnaires. Data were analyzed using STATA (version 17). The average age of the samples was 69.93 ± 8.73 years. The average quality of services expected and perceived by the elderly in the emergency department was 93.56 ± 6.76 and 48.78 ± 11.39 respectively at the moderate level. There was a negative and significant relationship between the quality of the expected services and the perceived services of the elderly (OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.92-0.96, p < 0.001). There was an inverse relationship between expected service quality and perceived service quality. The results of the study, by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the services provided in the emergency department, can improve the future plans of the Ministry of Health and insurance organizations to improve the quality of medical and care services and, as a result, provide the best possible care for elderly patients in the emergency department.