Outpatient Appointments and waiting Time in a Tertiary Health Facility in Jos

Abstract

Background: The system used to schedule outpatient appointments affects the time clients wait before seeing their doctors. The purpose of this study was to determine the appointment system used in Jos University Teaching Hospital and the waiting time before consultation.
Methods: A semi- structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 202 clients selected by multi-stage sampling technique. A trained observer recorded the time patients waited before seeing their doctor.
Results: Single block appointment system was used to schedule outpatient appointments for all the subjects. Median waiting time was 220 minutes (IQR 172.50 – 296.25 minutes). There was a significant relationship between type of Clinic and waiting time (p=0.0003). Most of the subjects (79.2%) were not happy with the time they spent waiting to see a doctor although about 57 percent of them were generally satisfied with the services they received in the Hospital.
Conclusion: Jos University Teaching Hospital practices block appointment system that results in long waiting time. Urgent action is needed to change this practice that contributes to patient's dissatisfaction.