Table 1.

As part of the questionnaire used in this study, women were given the opportunity to comment on whether or not they saw or heard anything that upset or disturbed them during their visit to the emergency room (ER) of Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH). This table outlines some of the comments from those surveyed before refurbishment took place

Theme	Subcategories	Illustrative Quotes
Unsatisfactory patient experience	Anxiety Disappointment Dissatisfaction Disgust Invasion of privacy Loss of dignity	“Very busy; Not very private”.
		“I was in a cubicle by the main door and the curtain wasn’t fully closed so that people passing by could see in”.
		“I was examined behind a curtain and at one point, men and other patients could see me and it made me very uncomfortable”.
		“I could see blood on the ground in the cubicle beside me”.
		“I could overhear absolutely everything while I was in the Emergency Room”.
		“I overheard nurses answering queries over the phone”.
		“I was upset by seeing other people in severe pain near me”.
		“Through a gap in the curtains I saw another patient’s heavily soiled/bloody sanitary towel being carried to the bin by a member of staff”.