Waiting time and patient satisfaction: Survey of patients seeking care at the general outpatient clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Improving efficiency in patient flow and the satisfaction of patients attending outpatient clinics may require paying close attention to the actual time spent by patients at the various service points during their visit to the hospital. This study assessed the time clients spent at various service stations, the level of their satisfaction with the time spent and the relationship between waiting time and satisfaction for patients seeking care at the General Outpatient Clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.
Methods: A total of 422 adult patients seeking care at the clinic were selected by time-limited systematic random sampling and followed through all their engagements within the hospital. Details of the time spent at each service station and clients’ satisfaction with the time spent were collected using record sheet and a patient satisfaction questionnaire. Data were analysed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 20. The statistical effect sizes and confidence intervals of measured outcomes were reported. The P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: More of the patients were female (58.6%), married (65.3%) and regular visitors to the clinic (72.6%). The mean time of 83 min was spent on the movement to the hospital and further 274 min to conclude all relevant activities in the course of seeking general practice service in the hospital. The average time of consultation with the doctors was 19 min, whereas the longest mean waiting times of 77 and 50 min were spent while waiting to access radiological and laboratory services, respectively. More patients were satisfied with the time they spent consulting the doctors (93%) or waiting to have their vital signs checked by the nurses (83%) than they were with the time taken to access radiological (30%) and laboratory services (47%). There was a significant inverse relationship between the level of patient satisfaction and the duration of time spent at the service stations.
Conclusion: The waiting time for patient accessing general outpatient care in the teaching hospital is long and could be a major contributor to negative patient experiences. There is a need for system redesign, establishment of patients’ appointment scheduling and other interventions by service providers that will ensure efficient and effective management of patient flow, timely access to health services and an overall improvement of patient experience with the general outpatient encounter.
Downloads
Article Details
The journal grants the right to make small numbers of printed copies for their personal non-commercial use under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
References
1. Ofili AN, Ofovwe CE. Patients’ assessment of efficiency of services at a teaching hospital in a developing country. Ann Afr Med 2005;4:150‑3.
2. Ajayi IO. Patients’ waiting time at an outpatient clinic in Nigeria – Can it be put to better use? Patient Educ Couns 2002;47:121‑6.
3. Ajayi IO, Olumide EA, Oyediran O. Patient satisfaction with the services provided at a general outpatients’ clinic, Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria. Afr J Med Med Sci 2005;34:133‑40.
4. Iliyasu Z, Abubakar IS, Abubakar S, Lawan UM, Gajida AU. Patients’ satisfaction with services obtained from Aminu Kano teaching hospital,
Northern Nigeria. Niger J Clin Pract 2010;13:371‑8.
5. Ogunfowokan O, Mora M. Time, expectation and satisfaction: Patients’ experience at National Hospital Abuja, Nigeria. Afr J Prim Health Care
Fam Med 2012;4:398.
6. Umar I, Oche MO, Umar AS. Patient waiting time in a tertiary health institution in Northern Nigeria. J Public Health Epidemiol 2011;3:78‑82.
7. Weisman CS, Rich DE, Rogers J, Crawford KG, Grayson CE, Henderson JT, et al. Gender and patient satisfaction with primary care: Tuning in to women in quality measurement. J Womens Health Gend Based Med 2000;9:657‑65.
8. Lewis JR. Patient views on quality care in general practice: Literature review. Soc Sci Med 1994;39:655‑70.
9. Ogaji DS, Giles S, Daker‑White G, Bower P. Findings and predictors of patient-reported experience of primary health care in Nigeria. J Patient Exp 2016;3:69‑80.
10. Pillay DI, Ghazali RJ, Manaf NH, Abdullah AH, Bakar AA, Salikin F, et al. Hospital waiting time: The forgotten premise of healthcare service
delivery? Int J Health Care Qual Assur 2011;24:506‑22.
11. Pascoe GC. Patient satisfaction in primary health care: A literature review and analysis. Eval Program Plann 1983;6:185‑210.
12. Vuori H. Patient satisfaction – An attribute or indicator of the quality of care? QRB Qual Rev Bull 1987;13:106‑8.
13. Kirkwood BR. Essentials of Medical Statistics. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1988.
14. IBM‑Statistical Package for Social Sciences. IBM SPSS Statistics Base 20. Chicago, IL: IBM‑Statistical Package for Social Sciences Inc., 2011.
15. Nakagawa S, Cuthill IC. Effect size, confidence interval and statistical significance: A practical guide for biologists. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2007;82:591‑605.
16. Qidwai W, Dhanani RH, Khan FM. Implications for the practice of a patient expectation and satisfaction survey, at a teaching hospital in
Karachi, Pakistan. J Pak Med Assoc 2003;53:122‑5.
17. Akinyinka MR, Adebayo BI, Wright KO, Adeniran A. Client waiting time in an urban primary health care centre in Lagos. J Community Med Prim Health Care 2016;28:17‑24.
18. Ogaji D, Nwi‑ue L, Agalah H, Ibok S, N‑u DM. Impact and contributors to cost of managing long term conditions in a university hospital in Nigeria. J Community Med Prim Health Care 2015;27:30‑40.
19. Ogaji DS, Mark OC, Oghenetega EP, Ebebechukwu UG, Mezie‑Okoye MM. Cost burden for accessing paediatric emergency services at a tertiary health facility. Niger Health J 2016;15:103.
20. AdamuA, Maigatari M, Lawal K, Iliyasu M. Waiting time for emergency abdominal surgery in Zaria, Nigeria. Afr Health Sci 2010;10:46‑53.
21. Chen BL, Li ED, Yamawuchi K, Kato K, Naganawa S, Miao WJ, et al. Impact of adjustment measures on reducing outpatient waiting time in a community hospital: Application of a computer simulation. Chin Med J (Engl) 2010;123:574‑80.