Factors contributing to waiting times among patients undergoing computerized tomography, ultrasonography and general radiography at kenyatta national hospital, nairobi kenya.

Abstract

Background-lengthy patient waiting time is a major cause of dissatisfaction of patients with healthcare providers. Determining the optimum waiting time for any given radiological service is often part of a larger assessment of customer behavior and satisfaction. The purpose of this research was to suggest possible solutions for the reduction of waiting times, improve the quality of services which in return would reduce queue lengths, increase staff productivity and operational efficiency. Objectives-to determine the time taken by the patient from reporting to radiology department to the time they exit, identify the waiting times for the specific areas and factors contributing to these times and suggest possible solutions for the reduction of these times. Methodology-a longitudinal observational study was conducted with an aim of determining turnaround times among the patients utilizing the various services at radiology department, knh. The sample size was 596 patients for the three modalities. Simple random sampling was employed to select participants. Every patient that came to the department on monday to friday 8am to 5pm was enrolled in the study until the required sample size was obtained. The data was collected over a 3 month period from 1stjuly 2017 to 1stseptember 2017. Data collection and analysis-a structured questionnaire was used to collect data which was piloted. The filled questionnaires were checked daily by the researcher to ensure completeness. Data generated was entered & analyzed using statistical package spss version 22. The descriptive characteristics of the patients was presented as means, medians and percentages for continuous & categorical variables respectively. Waiting time was analyzed and presented as means with standard deviations. Comparisons across the three study groups was done using logistic regression test. Factors associated to waiting time was determined using linear regression analysis. All statistical tests were performed at 5% level of significance. A process map/flow chart was used to show description, sequence of the process sections, & a cause and effect diagram was used to show the relationship between waiting times. Results-the information generated will be important for the management in guiding decisions to Improve service delivery. Presentation of findings was done in tables and graphs.