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Planning for ambulatory care: simple methods for improving patient flow

S E Schuh, I Tolins, M C Westphal

Southern Medical Journal

|June 1, 1977

Summary

Pediatric patients spent excessive time waiting, with nearly two-thirds of their visit dedicated to delays. Inefficient clinic design and scheduling contributed to this significant patient wait time.

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Area of Science:

Healthcare Operations Research
Pediatric Healthcare Management
Patient Flow Optimization

Background:

Ambulatory pediatric services face challenges in managing patient flow efficiently.
Long patient wait times negatively impact patient satisfaction and clinic throughput.
Understanding bottlenecks in pediatric care delivery is crucial for service improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze patient flow and identify causes of delay in a pediatric ambulatory service.
To quantify the proportion of patient time spent waiting for physician consultation.
To evaluate the impact of facility design and scheduling on patient wait times.

Main Methods:

A combined study utilizing patient flow analysis and work sampling techniques.

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Data collection at the Ambulatory Pediatric Service of the Medical University of South Carolina.

Identification of key factors contributing to delays in patient care.

Main Results:

Nearly two-thirds of the total patient time was spent waiting to see the doctor.
Identified contributing factors include insufficient examining rooms.
The single block appointment system and suboptimal facility design were also significant contributors to delays.

Conclusions:

Significant delays in pediatric ambulatory care are primarily driven by operational and design inefficiencies.
Addressing issues such as limited examining rooms and inefficient scheduling is essential.
Optimizing facility layout and appointment systems can reduce patient wait times and improve service delivery.