Effect of waiting time on patients’ satisfaction in outpatient: An empirical investigation

Abstract

Study objective This study mainly aimed to identify the effect of waiting times on patient satisfaction. Methods A clever questionnaire was designed, and it contained two parts. The first part includes a series of short, standardized questions about expected waiting time (EWT), reasonable waiting time (RWT), limited waiting time (LWT), and basic personal information. This part of the questionnaire was filled in when the patient entered the waiting area. The second part includes perceived waiting time (PWT) and satisfaction evaluation, and this part was filled before patients entered the doctor’s office. The two questionnaires were summarized by the same number. The actual waiting time (AWT) was calculated based on the time difference between the registration time recorded by the experimenter and the time between entering the clinic. Linear regression was used to analyze the influence of waiting times on satisfaction. Before starting data collection, this study was approved by the hospital health ethics committee. Results A total of 323 questionnaires were collected, in which 292 (90.4%) were valid. EWT, LWT, RWT, and PWT had a significant effect on patient’s satisfaction (p = 0.006, p = 0.043, p = 0.009, p = 0.000), whereas AWT had no significant effect on satisfaction (p = 0.365). The difference between EWT and AWT had a significant effect on satisfaction (p = 0.000), while the difference between PWT and AWT had a significant effect on satisfaction (p = 0.000). Age, education background, gender, appointment, and hospital visit experience had no significant effect on patient satisfaction (p = 0.105, p = 0.443, p = 0.260, p = 0.352, p = 0.461). Conclusions The patient’s satisfaction of waiting time was not directly affected by the AWT, but by the subjective waiting times. And the difference between AWT and EWT has a significant impact on patient’s satisfaction. Meanwhile, the difference between AWT and PWT also has a significant impact on patient’s satisfaction. Therefore, service quality can be improved by hospital managers by focusing on the adjustment of patients’ subjective waiting time while reducing the objective waiting time.

Uniswap Daily Transaction Indices by Network

“…Expanding the Dataset with Additional Network Attributes: While the current daily indices offer a robust foundation for empirical analysis within the DeFi ecosystem, it is evident that the breadth of our dataset can be broadened to include more comprehensive variables. These variables should encapsulate diverse facets of DeFi network systems, as referenced in existing literature, 31,33 including advanced network features, 4 intricate transaction fee mechanisms, 34,35 and the nuanced social sentiment dynamics [36][37][38] prevalent in DeFi networks. A particular area of interest for future investigations is the security dimension within these networks, as outlined in existing research.…”

Assessment of Patient Waiting Time in Primary Health Care Settings in Rwanda: A Mixed-Method Study

“…[9,10] Furthermore, waiting time has the same negative effects in different contexts and settings. For example, patients are dissatisfied with the long waiting time to meet or speak to a doctor, [2]in outpatient clinics and primary healthcare settings, [2,11,12] and emergency departments. [13,14] Considerable efforts have been made to understand the factors that cause long waits and to determine how this problem can be mitigated.…”