Determinants of patient waiting time in the general outpatient department of a tertiary health institution in North Western Nigeria

Abstract

Background:The amount of time a patient waits to be seen is one factor which affects utilization of healthcare services. Patients perceive long waiting times as barrier to actually obtaining services and keeping patients waiting unnecessarily can be a cause of stress for both patient and doctor.Aim:This study was aimed at assessing the determinants of patients’ waiting time in the general outpatient department (GOPD) of a tertiary health institution in northern Nigeria.Subjects and Methods:This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among new patients attending the GOPD of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, North Western Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from 100 patients who were recruited into the study using a convenience sampling method. Data collected were entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 17; Chi-square test was used to compare differences between proportions with the level of statistical significance set at 5% (P < 0.05).Results:Sixty-one percent (59/96) of the respondents waited for 90-180 min in the clinic, whereas 36.1% (35/96) of the patients spent less than 5 min with the doctor in the consulting room. The commonest reason for the long waiting time in the GOPD was the large number of patients with few healthcare workers.Conclusion:There is an urgent need to increase the number of health workers in the GOPDs which serves as the gate way to the hospital if the aims of the Millennium Development Goals are to be realized.

Patients’ perspectives regarding hospital visits in the universal health coverage system of Thailand: a qualitative study

“…Several studies in low-, middle- and high-income countries support the notion that long waiting times can cause stress and dissatisfaction in patients [26–28]. Similar to our study, research conducted in northern Nigeria found that the main reason for long waiting times was an imbalance in demand and supply (large numbers of patients with few healthcare workers) [27]. Accordingly, it seems that long waiting times in hospitals are common in developing countries [29].…”

Exploring attitudes and perceptions of patients and staff towards an after-hours co-pay clinic supplementing free HIV services in Kampala, Uganda

“…Research among women in Kampala revealed that the non-monetary costs of attending an HIV clinic visits such as a long waiting time to see a health worker led some people to choose fee for service options at nearby general clinics for conditions they otherwise would have sought care for free at their primary HIV treatment centre [ 11 ]. Studies in the US, as well as in Nigeria and Uganda suggest that delays at clinics cause customer dissatisfaction and convey a sense of poor service [ 12 – 14 ]. Payment for health services by the patient may counterbalance this, by allowing the patient to secure a specified set of healthcare services, at a specified level of quality and subject to a specified maximum level of personal inconvenience [ 15 ].…”

Implementation of a quality and safety checklist for haemodialysis sessions

“…However, quality is not only the outcome, especially from the patient perspective. Time spent waiting for connection is rarely enjoyed by patients [ 5 ], especially when there is uncertainty about the duration. Patients in the waiting room should know how long they have to wait, and this should not exceed a certain reasonable amount of time.…”