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Analyse der Patientenwartezeiten in einer chirurgischen Poliklinik

Analysis of patient waiting times in a polyclinic for surgery

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Zusammenfassung

Einleitung

Wartezeiten werden von Patienten negativ empfunden und haben so erheblichen Einfluss auf die Patientenzufriedenheit. Das Ziel des hier vorliegenden Forschungsvorhabens war die Erhebung der Wartezeiten bis zum ersten Arztkontakt und damit verbunden die Patientenzufriedenheit in der Poliklinik der Viszeral-, Thorax- und Gefäßchirurgie des Universitätsklinikums Marburg (UKGM).

Material und Methoden

Der Zeitraum der Messungen betrug drei Monate. Insgesamt wurde die Wartezeit von 253 Patienten der chirurgischen Poliklinik gemessen. Das durchschnittliche Alter lag bei 59,6 Jahren (Spannweite 13–91 Jahre). Die Patienten wurden anschließend befragt, ob sie mit der Wartezeit zufrieden waren und ob die Wartezeit für sie ein Kriterium für die Auswahl des Krankenhauses bedeutet.

Ergebnisse

Die mittlere Wartezeit aller 253 Patienten lag bei 61 min. Davon warteten 48 (19 %) Patienten weniger als 15 min, 42 Patienten (16,6 %) 15–30 min, 57 Patienten (22,5 %) 30–60 min, 65 Patienten (25,7 %) 60–120 min, 36 Patienten (14,2 %) 120–240 min und 5 Patienten (2 %) warteten 240–300 min. Die mittlere Wartezeit lag bei der Nicht-Zufriedenen-Gruppe bei 109 min, während die zufriedenen Patienten lediglich 46 min im Mittel warteten (p = 0,000). Als nächstes evaluierten wir die Patientenzufriedenheit bez. der Wartezeit und einem Cut-off von 30 min. Es zeigte sich, dass 163 Patienten mehr als 30 min warteten. Davon fanden 106 (65 %) Patienten die Wartezeit angemessen und 57 (35 %) nicht. Dagegen warteten 90 Patienten weniger oder gleich 30 min. In dieser Gruppe waren 88 Patienten (97,8 %) mit der Wartezeit zufrieden und nur 2 (2,2 %) nicht (p = 0,000). Die Frage, ob die Wartezeit im Krankenhaus ein Auswahlkriterium sei, bejahten 144 der 253 (56,9 %).

Schlussfolgerung

Geringe Wartezeiten sind wichtige Einflussgrößen auf die Patientenzufriedenheit und somit ein Wettbewerbsfaktor. Anhand unserer Ergebnisse sollte die 30-Minuten-Wartezeit-Grenze stets im Auge behalten werden, um die Patientenzufriedenheit nicht zu gefährden.

Abstract

Introduction

Waiting times are a negative aspect for patients and therefore have a major influence on patient satisfaction. The aim of this research study was to evaluate waiting times from registration until first contact with a doctor in the outpatient department of the Polyclinic for Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery of the University Hospital Marburg.

Material and methods

Waiting times for 253 patients in the outpatient department were measured over a time period of 3 months. The mean age was 59.6 years (range 13–91 years). Patients were asked if they were satisfied with the waiting time and whether waiting time is a criterion in the choice of hospital.

Results

The mean waiting time of all 253 patients was 61 min, 48 (19 %) patients had to wait less than 15 min, 42 (16.6 %) patients 15–30 min, 57 (22.5 %) patients 30–60 min, 65 (25.7 %) patients 60–120 min, 36 (14.2 %) patients 120–240 min and 5 (2 %) patients had to wait 240–300 min. The mean waiting time was 109 min in the group of dissatisfied patients, whereas satisfied patients had a mean waiting time of 46 min (p = 0.000). We further evaluated patient satisfaction in correlation with waiting times at a cut-off of 30 min. Of the patients 163 had to wait more than 30 min whereby 106 (65 %) patients out of this group evaluated the waiting time as appropriate and 57 (35 %) as unsatisfactory. A total of 90 patients had to wait 30 min or less whereby 88 (97.8 %) patients out of this group were satisfied with the waiting time and 2 (2.2 %) were dissatisfied (p = 0.000). For 144 (56.9 %) out of the 253 patients the waiting time was a major criterion in the choice of hospital.

Conclusion

Short waiting times play an important role in patient satisfaction and therefore represent a major competitive factor. From our results we concluded that a waiting time of 30 min should not be exceeded in order to maintain a high patient satisfaction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Klinik für Viszeral-, Thorax- und Gefäßchirurgie, UKGM Marburg, Standort Marburg, Baldingerstraße, 35043, Marburg, Deutschland

    C. Meyer, A. Ringler, D. K. Bartsch & V. Fendrich

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  1. C. Meyer
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  2. A. Ringler
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  3. D. K. Bartsch
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  4. V. Fendrich
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Correspondence to C. Meyer.

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C. Meyer, A. Ringler, D.K. Bartsch und V. Fendrich geben an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht.

Dieser Beitrag beinhaltet keine von den Autoren durchgeführten Studien an Menschen oder Tieren.

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Meyer, C., Ringler, A., Bartsch, D.K. et al. Analyse der Patientenwartezeiten in einer chirurgischen Poliklinik. Chirurg 87, 964–970 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00104-016-0243-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00104-016-0243-9

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