Patient Experience and Satisfaction with Pre-hospital Emergency Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mazandaran, Iran

Background Failure to identify patient expectations can lead to dissatisfaction with the care provided, reduced adherence to treatment, and inefficient use of health resources. Objectives Given the pivotal role of EMS as one of the key health indicators in times of epidemics, this study aimed to explore the experience and satisfaction of patients with COVID-19 who received EMS Care in Mazandaran Province during the pandemic. Methods This mixed-method study was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The first phase employed a descriptive cross-sectional design, including all COVID-19 patients who received pre-hospital emergency care in Mazandaran during the second half of 2020 and throughout 2021. The second phase adopted qualitative content analysis based on Corbin’s (2015) constant comparative method to analyze participants’ experiences with EMS care during the same period. Results A total of 503 patients participated in the quantitative phase; 258 (51.3%) were female. The mean age of participants was 57.27 ± 17.12 years. The mean satisfaction score was 81.83 ± 7.66 (range: 52–98). In the qualitative phase, after 34 interviews, data saturation was achieved. Thematic analysis identified four major categories: shortage of human resources, equipment, and logistics; delays in service delivery; care beyond expectations; and non-defensive driving.. Conclusion t is imperative to strengthen infrastructure, augment human resources, provide essential medical equipment, and deliver specialized personnel training. Furthermore, the implementation of advanced communication and geolocation technologies has the potential to reduce response times significantly.it is crucial to prioritize investments in infrastructure development and resource management.