Doctors and managers know very well that there are limits to optimizing patient waiting times. Even if a sophisticated IT system for making appointments (timeslots, reminders, etc.) has been implemented, unexpected things can still happen: emergencies, increased service time for a patient with a complex condition, a doctor stuck in traffic, extra time for a consultation with another specialist, or lengthy examinations.
Delays of a few minutes can cumulate into tens of minutes, and as the day progresses, the delay in appointments grows like a snowball till the entire schedule gets out of control. The good news is that the available scientific literature does not show a strong correlation between waiting times and overall patient care experience.
If the value of the visit is high and the cost of waiting is low, patients are willing to tolerate even long delaysPatients' "readiness to wait" is a combination of actual wait time, individual factors such as the perceived value of the visit and the cost of a long wait, as well as factors related to the clinic and provider. For example, severely ill patients wait hours to speak to the doctor because health and life are at stake. On the other hand, people with a slight cold, who only need a medical discharge, or those coming in for preventive examinations, do not have such patience anymore. It all depends on the individual value of the visit to the patient. When some say, "I won't stress too much about waiting because health is more important," others explode with anger and feel mistreated or ignored. This phenomenon has been analyzed in many scientific publications, for example, 'The psychology of the wait time experience – what clinics can do to manage the waiting experience for patients: a longitudinal, qualitative study" (BMC). Researchers have identified several factors that have the strongest impact on improving the patient experience in the waiting room. Among them are:
- introducing components that minimize perceived waiting time (diversion);
- proactively informing patients about delays;
- apologizing for delays;
- moving a position in the queue or offering to come in at a later hour (an option limited to some facilities only).