Information and support to patients when the waiting time guarantee cannot be fulfilled: a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Information

Background:

• Long healthcare waiting times present a significant policy challenge.
• Waiting time guarantees aim to expedite patient assessment and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine patient information and support when waiting time guarantees are unmet.
• Investigated from both care provider and administrative management viewpoints.

Main Methods:

• Conducted semi-structured interviews with 28 administrative managers and care providers in specialized Stockholm Region clinics.
• Utilized thematic analysis on data from purposefully sampled clinics with diverse characteristics.
• Included variation in ownership, care complexity, location, production volume, and waiting times.

Main Results:

• Care providers offered inconsistent information and support, not adapting to patient health literacy or needs.
• Some patients were wrongly tasked with finding new providers or referrals, influenced by financial interests.
• A regional office assisted patients in changing providers, but no routine existed for informing patients about unmet guarantees.

Conclusions:

• Patient health literacy was overlooked when communicating waiting time guarantees.
• Administrative efforts to support providers in informing patients were ineffective.
• Economic factors and insufficient regulations undermined patient information, exacerbating health inequalities.