Factors relating to patient visit time with a physician

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Clinical Informatics

Background:

• Patient visit duration is a critical metric in healthcare delivery.
• Variability in physician visit times impacts clinic efficiency and patient satisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors influencing patient-physician visit duration.
• To determine combinations of factors associated with shortest and longest visits.
• To quantify physician contribution to visit time variation and assess predictability.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from a modified replication of the 1997-1998 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.
• Employed a regression tree and a linear mixed model (LMM) for analysis.
• Examined associations between patient time with a physician and 22 predictive factors.

Main Results:

• Patient visit time correlated with the number of diagnoses, receipt of non-illness care, and prior patient-physician or practice history.
• Predictive factors explained approximately 38% of variation using the regression tree and 33% using the LMM.
• Physicians accounted for an additional 12% of the variation in patient time.

Conclusions:

• Patient characteristics and visit context are significant predictors of physician visit duration.
• Leveraging patient data for scheduling can enhance clinic workflow and decrease wait times.
• Further research can refine predictive models for optimized resource allocation.