• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.219-228
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the degree of delay in waiting time, and the relationships of waiting time, patient satisfaction, and revisiting intention of outpatient in general hospitals. Methods: The data were collected from June 22 to July 4, 2009. A total of 536 outpatients who visited 21 clinics of a general hospital were subjected to evaluate the waiting time. The survey tools used were the Korea Health Industry Development Institutes (2008) tool for patient satisfaction and Reichheld & Sasser (1990) for revisiting intention. The data were analyzed by SAS version 9.1, descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The mean patient's waiting time was $28.3{\pm}30.7\;min$, the revealed mean score of patient's satisfaction was 2.92, and the revisiting intention showed was 4.56. The waiting time was negatively correlated with patient's satisfaction (r=-.10, p<.019). Patient's satisfaction was positively correlated with revisiting intention (r=-.51, p<.001). Conclusion: Waiting time management is an important factor of increasing patient's satisfaction and revisiting intention in general hospitals. It is mandatory that reservation management systems take into account the patient's characteristics of visiting outpatient department in order to shorten the real waiting time.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.56-72
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• 2001

Background : To shorten processing time for variety of medical affairs of the patient at the outpatient clinic of a big hospital is very important to qualify medical care of the patient. Therefore, patient's waiting time for medical examination is often utilized as a strong tool to evaluate patient satisfaction with a medical care provided. We performed this study to investigate factors delaying related with waiting time for medical examination. Methods : The data were collected from June 26 to July 30, 1999. A total 275 case of medical treatment and 5,634 patients who visited outpatient clinics of a tertiary hospital were subjected to evaluate the waiting time. The data were analyzed using frequency, t-test, ANOVA, $X^2$-test by SPSS Windows 7.5 program. Results : The mean patient's waiting time objectively evaluated ($30.9{\pm}33.9$ min) was longer than that subjectively by patient evaluated ($25.1{\pm}26.2$ min). Patient waiting time objectively evaluated was influenced by the starting time of medical examination, consultation hours, patients arriving time etc, as expected. The time discrepancy between two evaluations was influenced by several causative factors. Regarding the degree of patients accepted waiting time with the medical examination is 20 min. Conclusion : The results show that, besides the starting time of medical examination, consultation hours and patients arriving time, influence the patient's subjective evaluation of waiting time for medical examination and his satisfaction related with the service in the big hospital. In order to improve patient satisfaction related with waiting time for medical examination, it will be effective examination rather than to shorten the real processing time within the consultation room.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.20-30
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• 1996

Background : Theoretically as the waiting-time of patient is estimated in queueing, many men and much money are needed. But being the estimation of patient s waiting-time very important in hospital service, so the continuous monitoring of waiting-time is inevitable. To verify that the estimation of waiting-time using parking time is economical, effective and continuous monitoring method and to develop utilizing the method, this study was done. Method : In parking confirmation office, the personnel of parking office wrote parking confirm time, chart number and whether medical examination and treatment finish or not in parking ticket. The next day the parking tickets were gathered and the above data were input. The input parking data were connected with the hospital outpatient file indexing chart number. Then the patient' s data for department, new patient or not, reservation or not, receipt time and payment time were retrieved. The group for finishing medical treatment were compared with that for not finishing in average time lag between confirmation and out-time for hospital. And In-time for hospital, receipt time, payment and out-time for hospital were also analyzed. Result : Confirming parking ticket, the group for finished medical treatment left hospital after 7 minutes. This result showed that the patient for finished medical treatment left hospital immediately. So parking time was reasonable to estimation of hospital-time was concluded. The time for medical treatment, diagnosis and test was constant for all patients and short for waiting time, Then I concluded that the parking time was reasonable for estimation patient's waiting time. Overall patient's waiting time was 113 minutes and new patient's time was 149 minutes, old patient's times was 109 minutes. Waiting time for reservation patient was 98 minutes and for non reservation patient was 122 minutes. The time from hospital arrival to payment was 50 minutes for the group of reservation patient and 69 minutes for non-reservation group. The time from payment to hospital leaving was 51 minutes and 56 minutes for non reservation group. The short time difference between reserved group and not reserved group from payment to hospital leaving time was due to bottle neck effect. Conclusion : The estimation of patient's waiting time using parking time was reasonable because the possession of car was common and the time for medical treatment was equal and the patient after treatment left hospital immediately. Using this method, timely, fast evaluation and continuous monitoring of the intervention effect were possible.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.6-16
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• 2006

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics influencing consultation and waiting time in ambulatory patients. Methods : This study was conducted in a tertiary teaching hospital. Subjects were a total of 10,383 ambulatory patients. Consultation time was measured by time spent for meeting with his/her physician per patient. Waiting time was defined as the time difference between each patient's reserved time and time to meet with his/her physician for ambulatory care. Multiple regression analyses were performed to determine the factors influencing consultation and waiting time. Results : Consultation time was different according to patient' age, previous experience of clinic visit, recent admission history, medical department, specialist care, type of reservation, and day of the week. Significant factors influencing waiting time were patient' age, residential area, previous experience of clinic visit, recent admission history, medical department, specialist care, time spent after ambulatory care begins, and day of the week. Conclusions : The medical department was the strongest factor affecting both consultation time and waiting time. The ambulatory reservation management systems should take into account patient characteristics as well as care-related features.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.27-35
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• 2018

This study aimed to analyze the association among dental care consumers' responses to waiting time, hospital image, and patient satisfaction and provide basic data that could help qualitative waiting conditions management related to health care service. A survey was conducted from May 18 to June 20, 2016 in adults who had spent waiting time at dental hospitals or clinics, and the following conclusion was drawn: Hospital image was associated with the changes in reliance on dental care centers in case of long wait, the changes in reuse intentions, and the reservation system, and patient satisfaction was associated with gender, explanation of expected waiting time, the changes in reliance on dental care centers in case of long wait, the changes in reuse intentions, and the reservation system. The positive responses to waiting time was positively correlated with hospital image and patient satisfaction; the negative reaction to waiting time was negatively correlated with hospital image and patient satisfaction; and hospital image was positively correlated with patient satisfaction.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.202-215
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• 1998

Purpose : To shorten processing time for variety of medical affairs of the patient at the outpatient clinic of a big hospital is very important to qualify medical care of the patient. Therefore, patient's waiting time for drug delivery after doctor's prescription is often utilized as a strong tool to evaluate patient satisfaction with a medical care provided. We performed this study to investigate factors influencing patient satisfaction related with waiting time for drug delivery. Methods : The data were collected from July 21 to August 12, 1998. A total 535 patients or their families who visited outpatient clinics of Inha University Hospital were subjected to evaluate the drug delivery time and the level of their satisfaction related, which were compared with those objectively evaluated by Quality Improvement Team. The reliability of the scale was tested with Cronbach's alpha, and the data were analyzed using frequency, t-test, ANOVA, correlation analysis and multiple regression. Results : The mean drug delivery time subjectively evaluated by the patient (16.1 13.0 min) was longer than that objectively evaluated (10.9 7.6 min) by 5.2 min. Drug delivery time objectively evaluated was influenced by the prescription contents, total amount or type of drug dispensed, etc, as expected. The time discrepancy between two evaluations was influenced by several causative factors. One of those proved to be a patient's late response to the information from the pharmacy which the drug is ready to deliver. Interestingly, this discrepancy was found to be more prominent especially when waiting place for drug delivery was not less crowded. Other factors, pharmaceutical counseling at the pharmacy, emotional status or behavior of a patient while he waits for the medicine, were also found to influence the time subjectively evaluated. Regarding the degree of patient satisfaction with the drug delivery, majority of patients accepted drug delivery time with less than 10 min. It was also found to be influenced by emotional status of the patient as well as kindness or activity of pharmaceutical counselor. Conclusion : The results show that, besides prescription contents, behavior pattern or emotional status of a patient, environment of the waiting place, and quality of pharmaceutical counseling at the pharmacy, may influence the patient's subjective evaluation of waiting time for drug delivery and his satisfaction related with the service in the big hospital. In order to improve patient satisfaction related with waiting time for drug delivery, it will be cost effective to qualify pharmaceutical counseling and information system at the drug delivery site or waiting place rather than to shorten the real processing time within the pharmacy.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.144-152
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• 1996

Background : Because of introduction of nationwide health care system in 1989 and the improvement of socioeconomic status of population the number of outpatient visiting university hospital has good facilities and manpower has increased. So the waiting time for medical service at university hospital are lengthened. Particularly outpatients complain that waiting for prescribed drugs at pharmacy depart are long. Reducing waiting time at pharmacy depart door-to-door delivery system that the patients applying for door-to-door delivery receive prescribed drug at home without waiting at pharmacy depart were studied. The objective of this study is to analysis the opinion of outpatients for door-to-door delivery system, to study the appropriateness of adopting the system and to produce ideal model for the system. Method : Outpatients waiting drug at pharmacy depart were questioned about door-to-door delivery system. to find the factors affect utilizing the system the logistic regression was used. Result : 83.3% of the patients want to utilize the system without charging, and 72.9% of the patients want to utilized system with charging. 68.3% of patients with charging want to use this system because of long waiting time at pharmacy depart. 50% of patients who do not want to use door-to-door do not use this system because of incorrect delivery. The affecting factors to utilize the system were sex, waiting time, fee. Conclusion : The model for door to door delivery system. 1. door-to-door personnel reside in hospital and the patient want to utilize the system apply for the delivery with charging. 2. The applied drugs dispense at spare time. 3. Delivery company gathers drug at appointed time and delivers. 4. The delivery fee is 2,000-3,000 won. 5. To prevent from loss and changing the drug the name of patient on packet are printed and drug packet are sealed. 6. The company submit the confirm sheet which are written that the patient received drug correctly to hospital. 7. The delivery time of drug is reserved for the convenience of receiving.

• Korean Journal of Digital Imaging in Medicine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2013

PACS Import external image of the thread of the tasks and duties of hospital revenue and business efficiency falls over time. 500 beds or more medical imaging import work outside of the hospital, most hospitals use a PC, KIOSK, and was used in 15 hospitals where, CD Autoloader where use was the only one. Working hours compared to CD and DVD media to test the results of the Import target PC, KIOSK, CD Autoloader Import spent less time in the order, and also the greater capacity of CD Autoloader four times the PC, KIOSK 2 times Import could be implemented quickly. In addition, the waiting time of the patients was measured using the PC's time to Import, 2011 14.5 minutes and the average patient waiting time, KIOSK and later use CD Autoloader 2012 average patient wait time of 8.25 minutes, 43% of the existing average waiting time was 5.25 minutes to reduce. However, KIOSK case of a patient in a way that directly Import latency time was soon. Import of three ways: in terms of efficiency and excellent CD Autoloader way, the patient waiting time in terms of ease of use and KIOSK was excellent. In addition, with the introduction of CD Autoloader with KIOSK Joint of the items waiting time of patients and patient satisfaction rating is considered to be a major contribution.

• Journal of the Korea Society for Simulation
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.57-64
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• 2012

The waiting time of patients is an important factor related with service quality of a hospital system. An appointment system of patients is not popular, in special, in a private hospital. An appointment system is expected to diversify patients in time and to reduce patient's waiting time. Three appointment rules are suggested and analyzed to compare the waiting time of appointment and walk-in patients using simulation analysis. The results of two way ANOVA show that the time slot of 30 minutes for allocating appointment patients is better than the time slot of 60 minites in view of patient's waiting time. The results of the appointment level 1 also show that the constant pattern rule and the zigzag pattern rule give shorter waiting time for walk-in patient and for appointment patient, respectively.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.49-69
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• 2003

This study purported to evaluate the performance of the appointment system for outpatients in primary care dental clinic. The data of patients' time flow for 1,245 patients in Y Dental Clinic were collected for one month in 2002 and then analyzed. Specifically, the time periods of treatment and patients' waiting as well as rates of appointment and it's failure are estimated. The accuracy of expected treatment time period was also evaluated. The results showed that 72% of patients visited the clinic with appointments, and only 56% kept their appointments. The patient's waiting time period turned out to be 11 minutes in Y clinic. The expected treatment time period is turned out to be very important because they influence significantly on patient's waiting time period. Practically, the expected treatment time period should be overestimated about 9 minutes in general, and the characteristics of dentist, each patient's diagnosis and age need to be especially considered. Hospitals and clinics also need to make the systematic and detailed critical pathways for a variety of patient cases by analyzing the patients' treatment pattern. With the improved appointment systems, healthcare institutions will approach the goal of effective and efficient management of the institution and also satisfy their customers.