Improving Wait Times and Patient Satisfaction in Primary Care

Abstract

A strong and inverse relationship between patient satisfaction and wait times in ambulatory care settings has been demonstrated. Despite its relevance to key medical practice outcomes, timeliness of care in primary care settings has not been widely studied. The goal of the quality improvement project described here was to increase patient satisfaction by minimizing wait times using the Dartmouth Microsystem Improvement Curriculum (DMIC) framework and the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) improvement process. Following completion of an initial PDSA cycle, significant reductions in mean waiting room and exam room wait times (p = .001 and p = .047, respectively) were observed along with a significant increase in patient satisfaction with waiting room wait time (p = .029). The results support the hypothesis that the DMIC framework and the PDSA method can be applied to improve wait times and patient satisfaction among primary care patients. Furthermore, the pretest-posttest preexperimental study design employed provides a model for sequential repetitive tests of change that can lead to meaningful improvements in the delivery of care and practice performance in a variety of ambulatory care settings over time.

The Role of Patient-Centered Care in Nursing

“…Most outpatient clinics have associated the reduction of clinic wait times to patient satisfaction scores. Michael and colleagues, 45 also studied the effect of wait times patients experienced in the examination room on satisfaction of overall care. 45 These aspects of care have been identified as key points of interest for patients and clinicians but there are many other variables that require further study within this context of health care delivery.…”

171 Primary health care use and health care accessibility among adolescents in the United Arab Emirates

“…Given the reported deficits at some PHC clinics, an increase in human, physical and economic resources has the potential to reduce waiting times and improve the accessibility of health services. A PlanDo-Study-Act (PDSA) improvement process, a strategy proven to successfully reduce waiting times in the United States, can also be implemented (12). The PDSA strategy works by identifying factors that contribute to long waiting room and examination room waiting times, determining opportunities for improvement, implementing one or more process improvement strategies and evaluating the impact of these strategies on improving wait times and patients' satisfaction with the care experience (12).…”

“…A PlanDo-Study-Act (PDSA) improvement process, a strategy proven to successfully reduce waiting times in the United States, can also be implemented (12). The PDSA strategy works by identifying factors that contribute to long waiting room and examination room waiting times, determining opportunities for improvement, implementing one or more process improvement strategies and evaluating the impact of these strategies on improving wait times and patients' satisfaction with the care experience (12). Another effective strategy for reducing waiting times is advanced access scheduling, which seeks to provide improved access to timely (often same-day) appointments, does not limit the type of visits that can be provided in the same day and accommodates patients with urgent problems (13).…”

Can We Predict Patient Wait Time?

“…"How long will it take?" is one of the questions most frequently asked at hospital reception desks [1,2]. Answering it with the timeworn "around 30 minutes" guesstimate simply does not work: The capacity, resources, and processing speed of any facility are perpetually moving targets.…”