Relating patient satisfaction to waiting time perceptions and expectations: the disconfirmation paradigm

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Experience Research
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Patient satisfaction is a key metric in healthcare quality assessment.
• Understanding factors influencing patient satisfaction, such as waiting times, is critical for service improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between patient satisfaction and their perceptions and expectations of waiting times in an emergency department (ED).

Main Methods:

• A telephone survey was conducted with 1,574 patients from a community hospital ED.
• Data collected included perceived satisfaction, waiting time perceptions, and waiting time expectations.

Main Results:

• Patient satisfaction was lowest when waiting times exceeded expectations.
• Satisfaction was moderate when waiting times met expectations and highest when they were shorter than expected (p < 0.0001).
• Perceived waiting time versus expectation showed a moderate association (effect strength 0.32) with patient satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• The disconfirmation paradigm effectively explains patient satisfaction in relation to waiting time perceptions and expectations.
• Healthcare providers must ensure perceived service performance meets or exceeds patient expectations to enhance satisfaction.