Patient Waiting Time and its Determinants in the General Outpatient of Debre Markos and Felege Hiwot Referral Hospitals Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18034/ra.v3i3.297Keywords:
Patient Waiting Time, Outpatient Department, Debre Markos Hospital, Felge Hiwot Hospital, EthiopiaAbstract
Patient waiting time is defined as the total time from registration until consultation with a doctor. Experiences of waiting in general are perceived as complex, subjective, and culturally influenced. Registration time, payment process/cash billing, recording classification/triaged time, few human resources and work process are the determinants of patient waiting time in the general outpatient departments. However, the complexity of wait time is poorly understood and has been explored only to a limited extent. Objective: To assess patient waiting time and its determinants in Debre Markos and Felge Hiywot Referral hospitals of Amhara Regional State in North West, Ethiopia. Methods: A hospital based comparative cross sectional study design wasemployed from October 20- November 20, 2014. The study population was patients presenting to general outpatient departments, from which464 patients was selected using systematic random sampling technique. Quantitative Data was collected using structured questionnaire and a check list adopted from studies.Quantitativedata was coded, entered, cleaned and analyzed using SPSS Software for windows version 20.0.Linear regression and bivariate logistic regression was applied to identify the determinants of each explanatory variable on outcome (patient waiting time).Finally data was interpreted by referring to the pertinent findings from the relevant literature reviewed. Ethical approval and clearance was obtained from ethical clearance committee of the Jimma University College of Public Health & Medical Sciences Result:The measured waiting time in Felge Hiywot referral hospital mean waiting time was and its standard deviation 149.2±72.1 minutes where as 94.2±58.3 minutes in debere markos referral hospital. The major causes of the long patient waiting time was large numbers of patient with a few doctors 94(40.5%),67(28.9%) ,long searching of the cards 67(28.9%),73(31.5),and long registration time 59(25.4%),76(32.5) in Feleg hywot and debre markos referral hospitals respectively. the satisfaction status in waiting time greater than 60 minutes in Felege hiywot referral hospital were statically significance with p value 0.0001(95% CI:1.7786,1.8766) with dissatisfaction whereas p= 0.0001 (95% CI;1.7690,1.8689) in debre markos referral hospital. Conclusion: There is the need for health care facilities and hospital administrators to address gaps in human resources, infrastructures and other internal procedures and institutional systems aimed at reducing waiting times and thus ensuring an effective health care.
Downloads
References
Bamgboye EO EH, Ogunlesi AO. The waiting time at the children's emergency room, University College Hospital, Ibadan. Nig J Pediatr. 1994;19:9–14.
O’Malley MS FS, Fletcher RH, Earp JA. Measuring patient waiting time in a practice setting: A comparison of methods. J Ambul Care Manage. 1983;6:20–7.
Oche Mo AH. Determinants of Patient Waiting Time in the General Outpatient Department of a Tertiary Health Institution in North Western Nigeria Ann Med Health Sci Res. 2013 Oct-Dec;3(4):588
XM H. Patient attitude towards waiting in an outpatient clinic and its applications Health Serv Manage Res. 1994;7:2–8.
Mackey TA CF. Patient waiting time in a nurse managed clinic. [Last accessed 2010 Nov 12]; The Int J Adv Nur Practice. 1997 1((1) ISSN):1523-6064.
Singh H HE, Mustapha N. Patients’ perception and satisfaction with health care professionals at primary care facilities in Trinidad and Tobago Bull World Health Organ. 1999;77:356–60.
MA H. Study on outpatients’ waiting time in Hospital University Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) through the six sigma approach. . Department of Statistics Malaysia [Last accessed]. 2004.
FMOH. Hospital performance monitoring and implementation manual. ,.. 2011.
Jawaid M AN, Nadeem AL, Rizvi BH, Hina AR. Patients experiences and satisfaction from surgical out-patient department of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Pak J Med Sci. 2009; 25:439–42.
Dos Santos LM SG, Rosenberg NM. Pediatric emergency department walk-outs1994. Pediatrics Emerg Care.10:76–8.
Ofilli AN OC. Patient's assessment of efficiency of services at a teaching hospital in a developing country. Ann Afr Med. 2005;4:150–3.
Ofilli AN OC. What patients want: A content analysis of key qualities that influence patient satisfaction Med Pract Manage. . 2007;22:255–61.
Chen BL LE, Yamawuchi K, Kato K, Naganawa S, Miao WJ. 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.
Bamgboye EA JJ. Long-waiting outpatients: Target audience for health education Patient EducCouns. 1994;23:49–54.
Ademola-Popoola DS AT, Idris A. Patients’ assessment of quality of eye care in a Nigerian teaching hospital Niger Post grad Med J. 2005;12:145–8.
KV R. Managing the clinic wait: An important quality of care challenge. J Nurs Care Qual.;13:11–20.
Fernandes CM DM, Barry S, Palmer N. Emergency Department patients who leave without seeing a physician: The Toronto Hospital experience. Ann Emerg Med. 1994;24:1092–6.
Arnesen KE EJ, Stavem K. Gender and socioeconomic status as determinants of waiting time for inpatient surgery in a system with implicit queue management. Health Policy. 2002;62:329–41.
Amardeep Thind CT, Andrea Burt, Moira Stewart, Graham Reid, Stewart Harris, and Judith Belle Brown. Determinants of Waiting Time for a Routine Family Physician Consultation in Southwestern Ontario. Healthc Policy. Feb 2007;2((3)):157–70.
Tiwari Y GS, Singh A. Arrival time pattern and waiting time distribution of patients in the emergency outpatient department of a tertiary level health care institution of North India. . J Emerg Trauma Shock. 2014 Jul;7(3).
Rossiter CE RF. Automatic monitoring of the time waited in an outpatient clinic. Last accessed Journal Storage: Med Care. 1968 1:218–25.
Labonte RN LR, Sanders D, Schrecker T. The University of Cape Town Press; Brain Drain, Fatal Indifference The G8 Africa and global health, IDRC. 2004.
Jawaid M AN, Nadeem AL, Rizvi BH, Hina AR. Patients experiences and satisfaction from surgical out-patient department of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Pak J Med Sci. 2009; 25:439–42.
Umar I,Oche and Umar A.s. Patient waiting time in a tertiary health institution in Northern Nigeria Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology. 2011;3(2):78-82.
Michael M SS, Egan PL, Little BB, Pritchard PS. Improving wait times and patient satisfaction in primary care. J Healthc Qual. 2013 Mar-Apr;35(2)::50-9.
Dansky KH MJ. Patient satisfaction with ambulatory healthcare services: Waiting time and filling time Hosp Health Serv Adm. 1997;42:165–77.
S A. Patient flow analysis in a children's clinic. East Mediterr Health J. 996;12:412–7.
Adamu H, and o.che M Patient Satisfaction with Services at a General Outpatient Clinic of a Tertiary
Hospital in Nigeria.British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research2014; 4(11): 2181-2202 RJ M. Quality assessment in health. . Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1984;288:1470–2.
Tayue T, Woldie M, Ololo S, Determinants of perceived health care provider empathyat public and private hospitals in central Ethiopia.Science Journal of Public Health 2013; 1(3): 156-16314
Jawaid M, Ahmed N, Alam SN, Rizvi BH, Razzak HA (2009) Patients’experiences and satisfaction from a Surgical Outpatient department of a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital. Pakistan. J. Med. Sci., (1):3; 439-4432.
Thatcher TD (2005). Outpatient waiting time in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). Highland. Med. Res. J., 3(1): 36-422.
Labonte RN, Labonte R, Sanders D, Schrecker T. Brain Drain, Fatalindifference: the G8, Africa and global health, IDRC 2004, Illustrated The University of cape Town Press, P.O.Box 24319, Lansdowne, South Africa. ISBN 1-91971-384-0.
Prasanna KS, Bashith MA, Sucharitha S (2009). Consumer satisfaction about Hospital services: A study from the Outpatient department of a Private Medical College Hospital at Mangalore. Indian J. Comm. Med., 34 (2): 156-159.
Ajayi IO, Olumide EA, Oyediran O (2005). Patient satisfaction with the services provided at a General Outpatients’ Clinic, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Afr. J. Med. Sci., 34(2):133-140.
Okotie OT, Patel N, Gonzalez CM (2008). The effect of Patient arrival time on the overall waiting time and utilization of Physician and examination room resources in the Out Patient Urologic Clinic. Advances in Urology do, 10(1155): 507436.
Pothier DD, Frosh A. (2006). Do Information sheets improve Patient Satisfaction in the Outpatient Department? Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 88(6):557-561.
Net N, Chompikul J, Sermsri S. (2007). Patient satisfaction with health services in the Out Patient
Department Clinic of Nangmamyen Community Hospital Sakeao Province, Thailand. J. Public Health. Devel., 5( 2): 33-42.
Roy PP (2002). Client satisfaction in Outpatient Medical Care services in Sampran Community Hospital, Thailand (MPHM Thesis in PHC Management) Nakhom Pathom: Fac of Graduate Studies, Mahidol University.
Thompson DA, Yarnold PR. (1995). Relating Patient satisfaction to waiting time perception and expectation: The disconfirmation paradigm. Acad. Emerg. Med., .2(12):1057-1062.
Maitra A, Chikhani C (1992). Patient satisfaction in an Urban Accident and Emergency department. Br. J. Clin. Pract.,46(3):182-184.
Baker DW, Stevens CD, Brook RH (1991). ‘Patients who leave a publichospital emergency department without being seen by a physician:Causes and consequences’, JAMA, 266: 1085–1090.
Bindman AB, Grumbach K, Keane D, Rauch L, Luce JM (1991). Consequences of queuing for care at a public hospital emergency department’, JAMA, 266:1091–1096.
--0--
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
ABC Research Alert is an Open Access journal. Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of their work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal. We require authors to inform us of any instances of re-publication.
