Investigating Patient Wait Times for Daily Outpatient Radiotherapy Appointments (A Single-Centre Study)

Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of quality in health care. Radiotherapy (RT) requires patients to attend daily treatment through outpatient appointments (OPA). Therefore, wait times (WT) for daily RT OPAs can have a significant impact on patient satisfaction. This study aims to quantify WTs associated with daily RT OPAs and investigate the cause of identified delays.

A total of 128 outpatients scheduled on eight different linear accelerators for RT were included in this ethics-approved study. Radiation therapists recorded the entry time (time patient entered the treatment room) for each OPA over 10 consecutive treatment days. Where applicable, radiation therapists recorded the cause for appointment delays. Subsequently, WTs were calculated as the difference between the scheduled appointment time and the entry time. Subgroup analysis by time of appointment and anatomical treatment sites was performed.

Mean WT ± standard deviation (SD) was 7.2 ± 27 min. for 866 OPAs. A total of 382/866 (44%) OPAs were early or on time (-12 ± 21 min.); 484/866 (56%) were delayed (22 ± 20 min.). The delays were primarily attributed to an indirect cause of catching up from previous delayed appointments (73%). The WT was ≤20 min. for 693/866 OPAs (80.0%). The mean WT ± SD was longest for midday appointments (10:30 AM-2:30 PM) at 9.5 ± 29 min. and was statistically significant (P = .020). The comparison of WTs by treatments sites showed pelvis site (majority prostate cancer patients) experiencing the longest WT ± SD at 11 ± 22 min. (P < .0001), caused by specific radiotherapy treatment protocol.

Most OPAs (80%) were treated within 20 min. of their scheduled time. Reported delays were influenced by clinic workflow and coordination of multiple appointments throughout the day. The findings of this study will assist in the formulation of strategies to improve efficiency and patient satisfaction.