Patients are more likely to be misdiagnosed or experience treatment delays when emergency rooms are so crowded that they receive care in a hallway, a survey of physicians suggests. Privacy and confidentiality are vital in emergency care, particularly for patients who may be reluctant to undress or divulge sensitive personal information in front of companions in an exam room or strangers in a hallway, researchers note in the Emergency Medicine Journal. To see how doctors think this lack of privacy affects care, researchers surveyed 440 emergency room physicians attending a medical conference in Boston in 2015. Under these circumstances, nearly all of the doctors also reported sometimes, often or always changing how they conducted physical exams. 'Patients should recognize that they always have the right to request some space to discuss private matters away from other individuals with their doctor.'

Source: CBC News March 01, 2018 17:48 UTC