Investigating Patient Privacy in the Emergency Department: a Systematic Review Study

Patient care is the main goal of the emergency department and its staff and respect for patient privacy is an essential part of the care process. Although many studies have examined patients' perceptions of their privacy, fewer studies have specifically addressed this issue in the emergency department, which is often a busy area and may pay less attention to privacy. The purpose of this study is to systematically review studies that have studied patient privacy in the emergency department.

This study is a systematic review of published studies on patient privacy in the emergency department conducted according to PRISMA teachings. To answer the study questions, the sources of electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, ScienceDirect and PsycINFO, and SID and Persian sources were searched with appropriate keywords. Criteria for eligibility of studies for review in this study were English or Persian language and study in the emergency department. No temporal or geographical restrictions were imposed.

14 studies were included in this systematic review. The studies were published between 2003 and 2020. 2 studies of organizational intervention, and other studies were performed cross-sectionally. Most studies were performed in Iran (seven cases) and then two studies in Australia. The cumulative number of participants in all studies was 1406 patients. The main concepts presented that seemed to affect the level of patient privacy were divided into three general categories: factors related to the emergency environment, patient-dependent, and staff-dependent.

In terms of factors related to the medical staff, there is a need to increase their awareness of the definitions of patients' privacy; Regarding the environment of the emergency department, it seems that the structure and design of the emergency department (including the type of separation of beds from each other by a room or curtain) should be revised in order to protect patient's privacy. Patient-related factors (including gender, culture) are not subject to change and are categorized only to determine the importance for further attention of the treatment staff.