Patient punctuality and clinic performance: observations from an academic-based private practice pain centre: a prospective quality improvement study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of an intervention to alter patient unpunctuality. The major hypothesis was that the intervention will change the distribution of patient unpunctuality by decreasing patient tardiness and increasing patient earliness.

Design

Prospective Quality Improvement.

Setting

Specialty Pain Clinic in suburban Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Participants

The patient population ranged in age from 18 to 93 years. All patients presenting to the clinic during the study period were included in the study. The average monthly volume was 86.2 (SD=13) patients. A total of 1500 patient visits were included in this study.

Interventions

We tracked appointment times and patient arrival times at an ambulatory pain clinic. An i

SUBMITTER: Williams KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4024595 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature