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Measuring access: how accurate are patient-reported waiting times?
E Rutland1, C Rowberry, R Patel
1Department of Genitourinary Medicine, Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, Royal South Hants Hospital, Southampton SO14 0YG, UK. emma_rutland@hotmail.com
Sexually Transmitted Infections
|July 13, 2007
Summary
Patient-reported waiting times in genitourinary medicine clinics are often inaccurate, with only 52% accuracy overall. While most patients correctly identified if seen within 48 hours, misreporting was common, potentially impacting audit data.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Access and Quality
- Public Health Surveillance
- Patient Experience Research
Background:
- National audits of genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic waiting times in England rely on patient questionnaires.
- Patient recall of service contact is a key data source, but accuracy may be compromised by delays between service use and reporting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the accuracy of patient-reported waiting times in GUM clinics.
- To compare patient recall of waiting times with objectively recorded data.
Main Methods:
- Collected true waiting times at patient booking.
- Compared booking data with patient-reported waiting times at clinic attendance.
- Analyzed factors influencing patient reporting inaccuracies.
Main Results:
- Overall accuracy of patient-reported waiting times was 52%.
- 17% of patients seen within 48 hours over-reported their wait; 20% reporting <48 hours were seen later.
- Men were more likely to overestimate waiting times.
Conclusions:
- Patient-reported waiting times in GUM clinics demonstrate poor overall accuracy.
- Despite individual misclassifications, the aggregate impact on Health Protection Agency waiting time data may be limited.
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