Primary Care Users' Perceptions of Waiting Room Ambience

Ambience in the waiting room

Abstract

Introduction: The waiting room is an environment of relatively long time remain for health care service users and their companions, and its structure may impact on the welfare levels presented in such locations. The aim of the study was to identify the perceptions of the users of a Basic Health Unit (BHU) of Blumenau/Santa Catarina on the waiting room, and compare the structure of this environment, the set of perceptions of the users, and the Physical Structure Manual guidelines of the Basic Health Units. Materials and methods: An adapted instrument from other studies as the necessities of this research was applied to 80 users who were waiting for service in the waiting room. Results: It is noteworthy that 93.75% of users considered a space for children's amusement important. Almost half of the users, 42.5%, said they are accompanied by children or babies at the BHU. Most users, 97.5% said that there were places to sit, but 70% rated the amount of seats as insufficient. The waiting time was rated by 17.5% of participants as well, 53.75% as reasonable and 28.75% as bad. Discussion: Waiting room conditions fulfill partially the Manual of Physical structure of Basic Health Units in the structural aspects, however users perceive structural needs which are not included in this instrument. Conclusion: In the dimension of the cases there is need for a better use of the waiting room with the proposition of activities that contribute to the care and humanization.