Understanding the Experience of Waiting in Hospital Settings (2024)

Abstract:

Few healthcare experiences are as ubiquitous as waiting. Conversations at any social gathering will unearth stories of wait times and waiting rooms, waiting for referrals, appointments, test results, treatments, or medications. A common quip in patient advocacy circles is that the experience of waiting is why “people” become“patients” when they interact with the healthcare system.* After an accident at the age of 20 led to quadriplegia, Daniel is “good at waiting” as a recurrent user of the acute care system. His years of lived experience provided extensive material to draw upon as he created a short‐film titled, Waiting to be Seen, on which this interpretive article is based.